HR-10638-119
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Sponsored by Emilia Sykes (D-OH)
What it does
The bill would require the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, working with Labor Department officials, to award grants "as appropriate" to states, local governments, tribes, and nonprofits with a documented history of effective work on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Grants may fund job counseling, occupational training, outreach to employers, and support services such as child care, transportation, work clothing, legal services, and counseling. Grantees would have to report yearly on results, and the Director would report to Congress every two years. It would authorize $40,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, but it does not itself provide the money.
Who benefits
Survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, trafficking, sexual harassment, and stalking, along with their dependents, who may gain job training and support services. Domestic violence and sexual assault service providers and coalitions, tribes, states, and local governments that may receive grant funds. Employers that may gain access to trained workers, and children and other dependents in households that may gain income stability.
Who is hurt
Federal taxpayers would bear up to $200 million over five years if Congress appropriates the full amount. Competing grant programs and applicants could receive less if funding is drawn from the same limited pool. Grantees, especially small nonprofits, would face application and annual reporting burdens, and the Office on Violence Against Women would take on added administrative work. Survivors who are not served by a funded provider in their area would see no direct benefit.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that economic dependence is a major reason survivors stay with or return to abusers, and that job training paired with child care, transportation, and legal help addresses that barrier directly. They contend that limiting grants to groups with a documented record of effective work, plus required outcome reporting on job entry and survivor satisfaction, would help direct funds to programs that deliver measurable results.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the Labor Department's existing workforce programs and current Violence Against Women Act grants already fund similar services, so a new program risks duplication and added administrative cost. They contend that an authorization of $200 million over five years is not a guaranteed appropriation, and that the broad "as appropriate" grant discretion gives limited assurance that funds would be targeted or effective.
Constitutional context
Congress creates this grant program under its Article I, Section 8 spending power, which permits spending for the general welfare, as described in South Dakota v. Dole (1987). The bill places conditions on grant recipients but does not compel states, so it raises no significant constitutional question.
Checks and balances
The executive branch (Office on Violence Against Women and the Labor Department) gains grant-making discretion, while Congress retains control through the appropriations process and the required biennial reports.
Historical precedent
Congress has previously funded Violence Against Women Act grant programs for victim services, housing, and legal assistance under the 1994 law this bill would amend.