34 U.S.C. § 12496 — Training and technical assistance grants

Page 386 TITLE 34—CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT § 12495 Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section not effective until Oct. 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after Mar. 15, 2022, see section 4(a) of div. W of Pub. L. 117–103, set out as a note under section 6851 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. § 12495. Right to report crime and emergencies from one’s home (a) Definition In this section, the term ‘‘covered govern- mental entity’’ means any municipal, county, or State government that receives funding under section 5306 of title 42. (b) Right to report (1) In general Landlords, homeowners, tenants, residents, occupants, and guests of, and applicants for, housing— (A) shall have the right to seek law en- forcement or emergency assistance on their own behalf or on behalf of another person in need of assistance; and (B) shall not be penalized based on their requests for assistance or based on criminal activity of which they are a victim or other- wise not at fault under statutes, ordinances, regulations, or policies adopted or enforced by covered governmental entities. (2) Prohibited penalties Penalties that are prohibited under para- graph (1) include— (A) actual or threatened assessment of monetary or criminal penalties, fines, or fees; (B) actual or threatened eviction; (C) actual or threatened refusal to rent or renew tenancy; (D) actual or threatened refusal to issue an occupancy permit or landlord permit; and (E) actual or threatened closure of the property, or designation of the property as a nuisance or a similarly negative designa- tion. (c) Reporting Consistent with the process described in sec- tion 5304(b) of title 42, covered governmental en- tities shall— (1) report any of their laws or policies, or, as applicable, the laws or policies adopted by sub- grantees, that impose penalties on landlords, homeowners, tenants, residents, occupants, guests, or housing applicants based on re- quests for law enforcement or emergency as- sistance or based on criminal activity that oc- curred at a property; and (2) certify that they are in compliance with the protections under this part or describe the steps the covered governmental entities will take within 180 days to come into compliance, or to ensure compliance among subgrantees. (d) Implementation The Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop- ment and the Attorney General shall implement and enforce this subpart consistent with, and in a manner that provides, the same rights and remedies as those provided for in title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.). (e) Subgrantees For those covered governmental entities that distribute funds to subgrantees, compliance with subsection (c)(1) includes inquiring about the existence of laws and policies adopted by subgrantees that impose penalties on landlords, homeowners, tenants, residents, occupants, guests, or housing applicants based on requests for law enforcement or emergency assistance or based on criminal activity that occurred at a property. (Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41415, as added Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VI, § 603, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 885.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT The Civil Rights Act of 1968, referred to in subsec. (d), is Pub. L. 90–284, Apr. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 73. Title VIII of the Act, known as the Fair Housing Act, is classified principally to subchapter I (§ 3601 et seq.) of chapter 45 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For com- plete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 3601 of Title 42 and Ta- bles. CODIFICATION Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VI, § 603, which directed the addition of this section to chapter 2 of subtitle N of title IV of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12491 et seq.), was executed by adding this section to chapter 2 of subtitle N of title IV of the Vio- lent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section not effective until Oct. 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after Mar. 15, 2022, see section 4(a) of div. W of Pub. L. 117–103, set out as a note under section 6851 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. § 12496. Training and technical assistance grants There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to be used for training and technical assistance to support the implementa- tion of this subpart, including technical assist- ance agreements with entities whose primary purpose and expertise is assisting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence or pro- viding culturally specific services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual as- sault, and stalking. (Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41416, as added Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VI, § 605(d), Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 887.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VI, § 605(d), which di- rected the addition of this section to chapter 2 of sub- title N of title IV of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12491 et seq.), was executed by adding this section to chapter 2 of subtitle N of title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Page 387 TITLE 34—CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT § 12501 Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section not effective until Oct. 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after Mar. 15, 2022, see section 4(a) of div. W of Pub. L. 117–103, set out as a note under section 6851 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. PART M—NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Pub. L. 109–162, title VII, § 701, Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3052, which directed that subtitle N of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (part L of this subchapter) be amended by adding at the end a subtitle O consisting of section 41501 (34 U.S.C. 12501), is reflected in the Code by setting out subtitle O as a separate part M (this part) and not as included in part L of this subchapter, as the probable intent of Congress. § 12501. Grant for national resource center on workplace responses to assist victims of do- mestic and sexual violence (a) Authority The Attorney General, acting through the Di- rector of the Office on Violence Against Women, may award a grant to an eligible nonprofit non- governmental entity or tribal organization, in order to provide for the establishment and oper- ation of a national resource center on workplace responses to assist victims of domestic and sex- ual violence and sexual harassment. The re- source center shall provide information and as- sistance to employers, labor organizations, and victim service providers to aid in their efforts to develop and implement responses to such vio- lence. (b) Applications To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity or organization shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and containing such in- formation as the Attorney General may require, including— (1) information that demonstrates that the entity or organization has nationally recog- nized expertise in the area of domestic or sex- ual violence; (2) a plan to maximize, to the extent prac- ticable, outreach to employers (including pri- vate companies, public entities such as public institutions of higher education and State and local governments, and employers with fewer than 20 employees) and labor organizations de- scribed in subsection (a) concerning devel- oping and implementing workplace responses to assist victims of domestic or sexual vio- lence; and (3) a plan for developing materials and train- ing for materials for employers that address the needs of employees in cases of domestic vi- olence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalk- ing, and sexual harassment impacting the workplace, including the needs of underserved communities, which materials shall include a website with resources for employers with fewer than 20 employees, including live train- ing materials. (c) Use of grant amount (1) In general An entity or organization that receives a grant under this section may use the funds made available through the grant for staff sal- aries, travel expenses, equipment, printing, and other reasonable expenses necessary to de- velop, maintain, and disseminate to employers and labor organizations described in sub- section (a), information and assistance con- cerning workplace responses to assist victims of domestic or sexual violence or sexual har- assment. (2) Responses Responses referred to in paragraph (1) may include— (A) providing training to promote a better understanding of workplace assistance to victims of domestic or sexual violence or sexual harassment; (B) providing conferences and other edu- cational opportunities; and (C) developing protocols and model work- place policies. (d) Liability The compliance or noncompliance of any em- ployer or labor organization with any protocol or policy developed by an entity or organization under this section shall not serve as a basis for liability in tort, express or implied contract, or by any other means. No protocol or policy devel- oped by an entity or organization under this sec- tion shall be referenced or enforced as a work- place safety standard by any Federal, State, or other governmental agency. (e) Pathways to Opportunity Pilot Project An eligible nonprofit nongovernmental entity or tribal organization that receives a grant under this section may develop a plan to en- hance the capacity of survivors to obtain and maintain employment, including through the implementation of a demonstration pilot pro- gram to be known as ‘‘Pathways to Oppor- tunity’’, which shall— (1) build collaborations between and among victim service providers, workforce develop- ment programs, and educational and voca- tional institutions to provide trauma informed programming to support survivors seeking em- ployment; and (2) be centered around culturally specific or- ganizations or organizations that primarily serve populations traditionally marginalized in the workplace. (f) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. (g) Availability of grant funds Funds appropriated under this section shall remain available until expended. (Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41501, as added Pub. L. 109–162, title VII, § 701, Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3052; amended Pub. L. 113–4, title VII, § 701, Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 110; Pub. L. 117–103, div. W, title VII, § 702, title XIII, § 1308, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 891, 929.)