To expand research for women in trauma.

October 31, 2003

Mr. DASCHLE (for Mr. EDWARDS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

To expand research for women in trauma.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Expanding Research for Women in Trauma Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Most studies of violence against women currently focus on physical abuse or rape, primarily because they are easier to identify and measure and are potentially lethal, however, almost all battered women describe psychological abuse as the most harmful.

(2) Most available research on violence against women has focused on young to middle-aged white women living in the community although available data shows that incarcerated women, women living in poverty, women belonging to minority ethnic and language groups, older women, and women with mental and physical disabilities report especially high rates of victimization.

(3) Victims of violence are at increased risk for a number of physical and mental health problems, for example, in primary care practice, women who have been raped report more symptoms of illness and more negative health behaviors than nonvictimized women.

(4) Effective methods for screening to identify women affected by violence are prerequisite to understanding the outcomes of abuse-sensitive medical care, for example, the effect of medical attention to violence on perceived health utilization of health services over time, and patient satisfaction.

(5) Violence against women occurs in a sociocultural context. More research should be conducted to identify sociocultural factors that promote and maintain violence against women and to learn how sociocultural factors, such as gender roles and poverty, mediate the effects of interpersonal victimization.

(6) There are a number of community-based and legal system interventions available to victims of interpersonal violence. However, there is little evaluation research on the effectiveness of these interventions, especially for various subpopulations of women. More research needs to be conducted on the effectiveness of legal and community-based interventions, not only those with the goal of changing the behavior of assailants but also those with the goal of helping women take safety-promoting actions.

(7) Much of the research on violence against women examines continuing rates of physical or psychological abuse as outcome measures and measures the behavior of the perpetrators, not something over which the woman has direct and immediate control. However, research on the women's attempts to manage and end the violence in their lives is rare.

(8) Much of the extant research has focused on violence against women in the streets (sexual assault) or in their homes (domestic violence and battering). However, consistent focus on violence against women in work-related (violence by partners in these settings and by coworkers and colleagues) and educational contexts has been more limited.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH INITIATIVES.

Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`SEC. 399O. VIOLENCE PREVENTION RESEARCH INITIATIVES.

`(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health, the Director of the Office of Women's Health, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Science, the Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and the Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities shall make grants and enter into contracts to--

`(1) increase research on the psychological sequelae of violence against women;

`(2) expand research on special populations and their risk for violence, including adolescents, older women, ethnic minorities, women with disabilities, and other affected populations;

`(3) increase research on violence against women as a risk factor for various mental and physical health problems;

`(4) develop and test effective methods of screening for violence in all points of entry to the health care system, including mental health, emergency medicine, and primary care;

`(5) expand and enhance research on socioeconomic and sociocultural correlates of violence, such as the factors that create the predisposition toward violent behavior, situational variables that trigger the expression of violence, and social processes that allow violence to continue without negative consequences to the perpetrator;

`(6) develop systematic and quantifiable measures to evaluate treatment programs for victims and perpetrators of violence;

`(7) conduct research to increase better understanding of the complex process victimized women go through in attempting to manage and end the violence in their lives and focus on resilience and coping mechanisms; and

`(8) develop standardized questions concerning rape, battering, and sexual harassment in work-related and educational contexts to be routinely included in governmentally sponsored national surveys in order to obtain a fuller and more accurate assessment of the nature, prevalence, and effect of multiple forms of violence against women in these settings.

`(b) MAXIMUM AMOUNT- The Secretary shall not award a grant under this section in an amount which exceeds $500,000.

`(c) DURATION- The Secretary shall award grants under this section for a period not to exceed 5 years.

`(d) APPLICATION-

`(1) IN GENERAL- Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.

`(2) CONTENTS- Each application submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall--

`(A) describe the activities for which assistance under this section is sought; and

`(B) provide such additional assurances as the Secretary determines to be essential to ensure compliance with the requirements of this section.

`(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be necessary.'.

END