Bill > S2159

This bill establishes a pilot program to address technological abuse in domestic violence cases, recognizing the growing prevalence of technology-enabled harassment and control. The bill creates two key grant programs: first, a pilot program that will award up to 15 grants of up to $2 million each to "eligible consortia" (partnerships between technology institutions or partners and domestic violence centers) to combat technological abuse. These grants can be used to purchase technological devices for victims, provide victim services, and reduce technological abuse. The pilot program will run for five years, after which the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women will submit a comprehensive report to Congress evaluating its effectiveness. The second grant program will provide funding to nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions to develop training, educational programs, and technical assistance for organizations supporting victims of technological abuse, with a total funding cap of $20 million over five years. The bill highlights alarming statistics about technology-enabled abuse, such as 97% of domestic violence support programs reporting that abusers use technology to stalk or control victims, and notes that technological abuse ranges from basic social media platforms to sophisticated stalkerware apps. The ultimate goal is to integrate technology expertise into survivor support networks to prevent and shield survivors from technological abuse.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2159/all-info