U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 10407. Information and technical assistance centers

(a) Purpose and grants

(1) Purpose

It is the purpose of this section to provide resource information, training, and technical assistance to Federal, State, and Indian tribal agencies, as well as to local domestic violence programs and to other professionals who provide services to victims of domestic violence.

(2) Grants

From the amounts appropriated under this chapter, the Secretary shall award grants to private nonprofit organizations for the establishment and maintenance of one national resource center (as provided for in subsection (b) of this section) and not to exceed seven special issue resource centers (as provided for in subsection (c) of this section) focusing on one or more issues of concern to domestic violence victims.

(b) National resource center

The national resource center established under subsection (a)(2) of this section—

(1) shall offer resource, policy, collaboration, and training assistance to Federal, State, and local government agencies, to domestic violence service providers, and to other professionals and interested parties on issues pertaining to domestic violence, including issues relating to children who witness domestic violence; and

(2) shall maintain a central resource library in order to collect, prepare, analyze, and disseminate information and statistics, and analyses of the information and statistics, relating to the incidence and prevention of family violence (particularly the prevention of repeated incidents of violence) and the provision of immediate shelter and related assistance.

The special issue resource centers established under subsection (a)(2) of this section shall provide information, training and technical assistance to State and local domestic violence service providers, and shall specialize in at least one of the following areas of domestic violence service, prevention, or law:

(1) Criminal justice response to domestic violence, including court-mandated abuser treatment.

(2) Improving the response of Child Protective Service agencies to battered mothers of abused children.

(3) Child custody issues in domestic violence cases.

(4) The use of the self-defense plea by domestic violence victims.

(5) Improving interdisciplinary health care responses and access to health care resources for victims of domestic violence.

(6) Improving access to and the quality of legal representation for victims of domestic violence in civil litigation, including the issuance and enforcement of protection orders.

(7) Providing technical assistance and training to State domestic violence coalitions.

(d) Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section an entity shall be a private nonprofit organization that—

(1) focuses primarily on domestic violence;

(2) provides documentation to the Secretary demonstrating experience working directly on issues of domestic violence, particularly in the specific subject area for which it is applying;

(3) include on its advisory boards representatives from domestic violence programs in the region who are geographically and culturally diverse; and

(4) demonstrate the strong support of domestic violence advocates from across the country and the region for their designation as the national or a special issue resource center.

(e) Reporting

Not later than 6 months after receiving a grant under this section, a grantee shall prepare and submit a report to the Secretary that evaluates the effectiveness of the use of amounts received under such grant by such grantee and containing such additional information as the Secretary may prescribe.

(f) “Indian tribal agency” defined

For purposes of this section, the term “Indian tribal agency” means an Indian tribe or tribal organization, as defined in section 450b of title 25.

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