TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Title I: Safe Streets for Women
Subtitle A: Federal Penalties for Sex Crimes
Subtitle B: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to
Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women
Subtitle C: Safety for Women in Public Transit and
Public Parks
Subtitle D: National Commission on Violence Against
Women
Subtitle E: New Evidentiary Rules
Subtitle F: Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault
Title II: Safe Homes for Women
Subtitle A: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
Amendments
Subtitle B: Interstate Enforcement
Subtitle C: Arrest in Spousal Abuse Cases
Subtitle D: Funding for Shelters
Subtitle E: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
Amendments
Subtitle F: Youth Education and Domestic Violence
Subtitle G: Confidentiality for Abused Persons
Subtitle H: Technical Amendments
Subtitle I: Data and Research
Title III: Civil Rights
Title IV: Safe Campuses for Women
Title V: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act
Subtitle A: Education and Training for Judges and Court
Personnel in State Courts
Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court
Personnel in Federal Courts
Violence Against Women Act of 1993 - Title I: Safe Streets for Women - Safe Streets for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Federal Penalties for Sex Crimes - Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) authorize judges to increase sentences for repeat sex offenders to up to twice that otherwise authorized by statute; and (2) require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend sentencing guidelines to increase the base offense level applicable to criminal sexual abuse.
(Sec. 113) Requires that a court order restitution for violations of Federal sexual abuse laws.
(Sec. 114) Authorizes appropriations to U.S. Attorneys to appoint victim/witness counselors for the prosecution of sex crimes and domestic violence crimes.
Subtitle B: Law Enforcement and Prosecution Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to areas of high intensity crime against women. Authorizes the Director to make general grants to: (1) States to reduce violent crimes against women; and (2) Indian tribes to reduce violent crimes against women in Indian country.
Subtitle C: Safety for Women in Public Transit and Public Parks - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to direct the Secretary of Transportation, from funds authorized under existing provisions, to make capital grants for the prevention of crime and to increase security in existing and future public transportation systems. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to States and local public bodies to increase the safety of public transportation through lighting, camera surveillance, security phones, or other projects. Directs the Secretary to provide grants and loans to study ways to reduce violent crimes against women in public transit through better design or operation of public transit systems.
(Sec. 132) Amends: (1) the National Park System Improvements in Administration Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to reduce violent crime in the National Park System; and (2) the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to direct such Secretary to provide grants for capital improvements and other measures to increase safety in urban parks and recreation areas.
Subtitle D: National Commission on Violence Against Women - Establishes the National Commission on Violence Against Women to promote a national policy on violent crime against women and to make recommendations on reducing such crime.
Subtitle E: New Evidentiary Rules - Amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to exclude, in criminal cases other than sex offense cases, reputation or opinion evidence of the past sexual behavior of a victim from admission into evidence. Allows other types of evidence of a victim's past sexual behavior in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice.
(Sec. 152) Makes reputation or opinion evidence of the plaintiff's past sexual behavior inadmissible in a civil action involving allegations of actionable sexual misconduct. Makes other types of evidence of a plaintiff's past sexual behavior admissible in accordance with specified procedures if its probative value outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice.
(Sec. 154) Makes evidence of an alleged victim's clothing, in a criminal case under Federal laws relating to sexual abuse, inadmissible to show that the victim incited or invited the offense.
Subtitle F: Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow States to use amounts transferred by the State under block grant provisions for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers or similar nongovernmental nonprofit entities.
(Sec. 162) Requires grant recipients under this title to incur the full cost of forensic medical exams for victims of sexual assault.
(Sec. 163) Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to private, nonprofit agencies for street-based outreach and education for female runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse.
(Sec. 164) Amends the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to provide for a victim's right to make a statement at the sentencing of a criminal defendant in cases involving a crime of violence or sexual abuse.
Title II: Safe Homes for Women - Safe Homes for Women Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to authorize the Secretary of HHS to award grants to one or more private, nonprofit entities to provide for the operation of a national, toll-free telephone hotline to provide information and assistance to victims of domestic violence.
Subtitle B: Interstate Enforcement - Amends the Federal criminal code to provide for a Federal term of imprisonment or fine, in addition to any State penalties, for any person who: (1) in the course of or as a result of travelling across State lines injures his or her spouse or intimate partner (partner); (2) crosses State lines for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, or injuring a partner and who injures such partner; (3) causes a partner to cross State lines by force, coercion, duress, or fraud and who injures such partner; or (4) commits such acts in violation of a valid protection order issued by a State.
Provides for temporary protection orders while a case under these provisions is pending.
Mandates that a court order restitution to the victim of an offense under this Act.
Requires, provided certain conditions are met, that a protection order issued by the court of one State be accorded full faith and credit by the court of another State.
Subtitle C: Arrest in Spousal Abuse Cases - Amends the FVPSA to authorize the Secretary of HHS to make grants, with regard to spousal abuse, to: (1) implement pro-arrest programs and policies in police departments and improve case tracking; (2) centralize police enforcement, prosecution, or judicial responsibility for cases in one group of officers, prosecutors, or judges; (3) coordinate computer tracking systems to ensure communication between police, prosecutors, and both criminal and family courts; and (4) educate judges to improve judicial handling of cases.
Subtitle D: Funding for Shelters - Amends the FVPSA to authorize appropriations to carry out that Act.
Subtitle E: Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Amendments - Amends the FVPSA to require that: (1) applications for State demonstration grants include a plan to address the needs of underserved populations; and (2) upon completion of activities funded, the State grantee file a performance report explaining the activities carried out together with an assessment of the effectiveness of such activities.
Subtitle F: Youth Education and Domestic Violence - Amends the FVPSA to direct the Secretary of Education to select, implement, and evaluate four model programs for education of young people about domestic violence and violence among intimate partners, with one program for each of primary, middle, and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education.
Subtitle G: Confidentiality for Abused Persons - Requires the U.S. Postal Service to promulgate regulations to secure the confidentiality of abused persons' addresses.
Subtitle H: Technical Amendments - Amends the FVPSA to: (1) include among the duties of State domestic violence coalitions to work with local domestic violence programs and providers of direct services to encourage appropriate responses to domestic violence within the State; and (2) make technical amendments to such Act.
Subtitle I: Data and Research - Requires: (1) the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to request the National Academy of Sciences to enter into a contract to develop a research agenda to increase the understanding and control of violence against women; (2) the NIJ to study and report to the States and the Congress on how the States may collect centralized databases on the incidence of domestic violence offenses within a State; and (3) the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study to obtain a national projection of the incidence of injuries resulting from domestic violence, the cost of injuries to health care facilities, and recommend health care strategies for reducing the incidence and cost of such injuries.
Title III: Civil Rights - Civil Rights Remedies for Gender-Motivated Violence Act - Declares that all persons within the United States shall have the right to be free from crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender. Makes any person, including a person who acts under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State, who deprives another of such right, liable to the injured party in an action for compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive and declaratory relief, and such other relief as the court deems appropriate.
(Sec. 303) Allows the awarding of attorney's fees in actions to enforce this title.
(Sec. 304) Expresses the sense of the Senate that news media, law enforcement officers, and other persons should exercise restraint, and respect a rape victim's privacy, by not disclosing the victim's identity to the general public or facilitating such disclosure without the victim's consent.
Title IV: Safe Campuses for Women - Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 to authorize appropriations for grants for campus sexual offenses education and prevention programs.
Title V: Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1993 - Equal Justice for Women in the Courts Act of 1993 - Subtitle A: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in State Courts - Authorizes the State Justice Institute to make grants for model programs to be used by States in training judges and court personnel in State laws on rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other crimes of violence motivated by the victim's gender.
Subtitle B: Education and Training for Judges and Court Personnel in Federal Courts - Encourages the circuit judicial councils to conduct studies of any instances of gender bias in legal proceedings in their respective circuits. Authorizes the Federal Judicial Center to include in its educational and training programs information on issues related to gender bias in the courts.
(Sec. 522) Directs the Judicial Conference to allocate funds (as specified) to Federal circuit courts that: (1) undertake studies under this subtitle in their circuits; or (2) implement reforms recommended as a result of such studies in their own or other circuits, including education and training.