Sec. 8. Grants to improve prevention and response to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus
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Title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1161a ) is amended by adding at the end the following: The Secretary is authorized to award grants to institutions of higher education, on a competitive basis as described in paragraph (2), to enhance the ability of such institutions to address sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus. The Secretary shall award grants under this section, on a competitive basis, as funds become available through the payment of penalties by institutions of higher education under section 485(f)(20) of this Act and sections 3 and 4 of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act .
Funds awarded under this section shall not be reserved for administrative expenses. An institution of higher education shall not be eligible to receive a grant under this section if the institution is found by the Department of Education, at the time of application for a grant under this section, to be in violation of— title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ( 20 U.S.C. 1681 ); or section 485(f). An institution of higher education that has received a grant award under section 304 of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 14045b ) in any of the previous 3 grant funding cycles shall not be eligible for a grant award under this section.
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to those institutions of higher education— with the smallest endowments or the lowest tuition rates, as compared to all institutions receiving funds under this Act; and that have demonstrated a strong commitment to prioritizing tackling the problem of campus sexual assault on their campuses, which may be demonstrated by providing documentation of actions by the administration of such institution such as— establishing a working group on campus that includes the participation of administration officials and students to analyze and strategize improvements to the way the institution prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus; organizing a series of listening sessions on campus to gather feedback and ideas from the campus community on how to improve the way the institution prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus; hosting a conference that brings together academic researchers to present and share ideas and research regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus; or other documented efforts beyond the requirements of Federal or State law that the administration of the institution of higher education has initiated in order to better understand the prevalence of sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus and analyze and improve how the institution of higher education responds to such incidents.
The Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary of the Office for Civil Rights, shall award the grants under this section in an amount of not more than $500,000 for each institution of higher education. The Secretary shall make every effort to ensure— the equitable participation of private and public institutions of higher education in the activities assisted under this section; the equitable geographic distribution of grants under this section among the various regions of the United States; and the equitable distribution of grants under this section to Tribal Colleges or Universities (as defined under section 316(b)) and historically Black colleges or universities.
The Secretary shall award each grant under this Act for a period of not more than 5 years. Grant funds awarded under this section shall be used to research best practices for preventing and responding to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus and to disseminate such research to peer institutions and the Department. Such research may include a focus on one or more of the following purposes: Strengthening strategies to combat sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus.
Strengthening victim services for incidents involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, on campus, which may involve partnerships with community-based victim services agencies. Strengthening prevention education and awareness programs on campus regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Grant funds awarded under this section may be used for one or more of the following purposes:
Evaluating and determining the effectiveness of victim services and education programs in reaching all populations that may be subject to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus. Training campus administrators, campus security personnel, and personnel serving on campus disciplinary boards on campus policies, protocols, and services to respond to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus, which shall include instruction on victim-centered, trauma-informed interview techniques and information on the neurobiological effects of trauma and stress on memory.
Developing, expanding, or strengthening victim services programs and population specific services on the campus of the institution, including programs providing legal, medical, or psychological counseling for victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and to improve delivery of victim assistance on campus, including through the services of the sexual assault response coordinator (as defined in section 125(a)). Developing or adapting and providing developmentally and culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible print or electronic materials regarding campus policies, protocols, and services related to the prevention of and response to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus.
Developing and implementing prevention education and awareness programs on campus regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. In order to be eligible for a grant under this section for any fiscal year, an institution of higher education shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary shall prescribe. Each application submitted under paragraph
(1)shall— describe the need for grant funds and the plan for implementation for any of the activities described in subsection (b); describe the characteristics of the population being served, including type of campus, demographics of the population, and number of students; describe how underserved populations in the campus community will be adequately served, including the provision of relevant population specific services; provide measurable goals and expected results from the use of the grant funds; provide assurances that the Federal funds made available under this section shall be used to supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the level of funds that would, in the absence of Federal funds, be made available by the institution or organization for the activities described in subsection (b); and include such other information and assurances as the Secretary reasonably determines to be necessary. Each institution of higher education receiving a grant under this section shall submit a performance report to the Secretary beginning 1 year after receiving the grant and annually thereafter. The Secretary shall suspend funding under this section for an institution of higher education if the institution fails to submit such a report. Upon completion of the grant period under this section, the grantee institution shall file a final performance report with the Secretary explaining the activities carried out under this section together with an assessment of the effectiveness of the activities described in subsection (b). Not later than 180 days after the end of the grant period under this section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that includes— the number of grants, and the amount of funds, distributed under this section; a summary of the activities carried out using grant funds and an evaluation of the progress made under the grant; and an evaluation of the effectiveness of programs funded under this section. .
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Sec. 8
Grants to improve prevention and response to sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus
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