Simple Explanation of H.R. 1585
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019

This law reauthorizes and updates the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) originally passed in 1994. It supports efforts to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and other crimes mostly affecting women. The Act provides resources, legal tools, protections, and services to victims, and strengthens law enforcement and healthcare responses.

Main Areas Covered in the Law

Definitions and Grant Conditions

• Defines key terms related to abuse, including technological abuse (harassment or control using technology), economic abuse, elder abuse, and female genital mutilation.
• Sets rules for confidentiality and victim privacy, including the use of technology to protect victims.

Legal Tools to Combat Violence

• Provides grants to improve law enforcement, prosecution, legal assistance, and services for victims.
• Encourages protocols to reduce forcing victims to testify in court to avoid re-traumatization.
• Establishes programs to ensure dangerous weapons are removed from offenders.

Services for Victims

• Grants for sexual assault services and support, especially for underserved communities.
• Programs focused on rural areas and special populations, including people with disabilities and older adults.
• Trauma-informed training for law enforcement to improve victim communication and investigation success.

Support for Young Victims

• Prevention and education grants for young people, including school-based programs.
• Special programs addressing sex trafficking, bullying, and female genital mutilation among youth.
• Grants to combat violence on campuses with education, training, victim support, and fair hearing practices.

Violence Reduction Practices

• Studies and grants to identify effective prevention strategies and address unmet needs of underserved populations.

Healthcare System Response

• Grants to improve health and behavioral health providers’ ability to identify and support victims.
• Training for healthcare and substance abuse treatment providers on trauma and violence.
• Research on connections between substance use and victimization.

Safe Housing for Victims

• Protects victims’ rights in public and assisted housing, including emergency transfers to safe units.
• Prevents discrimination or retaliation by landlords or housing providers against victims requesting law enforcement help.
• Requires agencies to review compliance and train housing staff about domestic violence issues.

Economic Security for Victims

• Recognizes that abuse can harm victims' financial independence and impact their ability to work or maintain housing.
• Establishes protections and training around workplace responses and unemployment benefits for survivors.
• Requires studies and education campaigns to improve survivors’ economic stability.

Firearms Restrictions and Safety

• Prohibits people convicted of domestic violence or stalking misdemeanors, or subject to protection orders, from owning firearms.
• Requires law enforcement notification when such people try to buy guns.
• Authorizes prosecutors and officers to better enforce gun laws related to domestic violence and stalking.

Protections for Native American Women

• Improves tribal jurisdiction over crimes including domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, sex trafficking, and assault of officers.
• Funds tribal law enforcement access to federal crime databases.
• Coordinates reporting and investigations of missing and murdered Native American women.

Office on Violence Against Women

• Updates and strengthens the federal office overseeing VAWA programs, led by a Senate-confirmed Director.
• Coordinates government-wide efforts and supports grantees assisting victims.

Federal Prisoners and Women’s Safety

• Improves conditions for women in federal prisons, especially pregnant women and primary caretaker parents.
• Requires trauma screening, access to healthcare and parenting education.
• Establishes a pilot program for incarcerated mothers and their infants to stay together safely.

Cybercrime Enforcement

• Funds state and local law enforcement training, prosecutions, and investigations related to cybercrimes against individuals, such as online harassment or stalking.
• Supports a National Resource Center to provide technical help and information on cybercrime victim issues.
• Requires better federal data collection and classification of cybercrime incidents.

Additional Measures

• Improves rape kit testing and forensic exam grants.
• Supports hotlines that include texting options.
• Requires coordination among federal agencies to harmonize sexual violence data.
• Authorizes programs to prevent homicides related to domestic violence.

In Simple Terms

This law:

• Keeps and improves existing programs fighting violence against women.
• Provides new definitions and protections for abuse, including online abuse and economic control.
• Gives more help and safety to victims, including better housing, legal help, healthcare, and support for children and young people.
• Strengthens laws making it easier to remove guns from dangerous abusers and help tribal communities protect Native women.
• Improves the justice system’s response, including specialized training for law enforcement and prosecutors.
• Helps women in federal prisons, especially pregnant inmates, improve their health and connection with children.
• Supports fighting cybercrimes like online harassment and stalking.
• Encourages reporting, data sharing, and education to raise awareness and improve help for victims.

Overall, this law works to stop violence against women, protect victims, support their recovery, and hold offenders accountable through better legal, social, health, and law enforcement systems.