Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Lisa Murkowski
Introduced
Summary
Expand access to trauma‑informed, culturally relevant services for people affected by family, domestic, and dating violence. It would strengthen Tribal response, fund national hotlines and prevention work, and set new standards for accessibility, confidentiality, and evaluation.
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- Families, survivors, and children: Would broaden eligible services and beneficiaries to include children, youth, underserved racial and ethnic populations, and people with disabilities. It emphasizes shelter, trauma‑informed care, language access, and culturally and linguistically appropriate support.
- Tribal communities and Native populations: Would create a Tribal Domestic Violence Coalition grant program and a National Indian Domestic Violence Hotline grant with tailored application and confidentiality rules. The Indian hotline is funded at $4.0 million per year in the bill.
- Prevention, national centers, and providers: Would consolidate funding and expand national resource centers including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian centers. It funds a new prevention program and earmarks resources such as $20.5 million per year for the National Domestic Violence Hotline and $26.0 million per year for prevention leadership.
*Would authorize $270.0 million per year for FY2027–FY2031, increasing federal spending by that amount and establishing specified annual set‑asides for hotlines, prevention, evaluation, and culturally specific grants.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 7 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
24-hour hotlines and privacy
If enacted, the bill would expand the National Domestic Violence Hotline to include phone and digital services with 24-hour counseling, crisis intervention, and referrals. It would require language access and disability accessibility (including TTY and web accessibility standards) for hotline and digital users. The bill would also create a National Indian Domestic Violence Hotline grant to fund a culturally informed 24-hour hotline and digital services for American Indian and Alaska Native victims, with multi-year grants. Grantees must protect caller confidentiality and keep shelter locations private unless the shelter agrees in writing.
Grants to prevent family violence
If enacted, the bill would create a Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Program to fund State and Tribal coalitions and community groups to test and scale prevention models. It would set aside funds for grants to underserved populations and for culturally specific community programs, including training, evaluation, and capacity building. The bill would reauthorize teen dating violence demonstration grants at $10 million per year for FY2027–FY2031. Grants would include public evaluations and may run up to 4–5 years depending on the program.
More help for children and parents
If enacted, the bill would change specialized services grants to prioritize trauma-informed, developmentally and culturally appropriate services for children, youth, and caregiving adults. It would expand eligible providers and set some grant terms to 3 years or 2 years. The bill would define a 'child' as under age 18 and not an emancipated minor. It would also prohibit income eligibility rules and fees for services paid for with these funds so survivors can receive covered services for free.
Tribal coalitions and coverage scope
If enacted, the bill would create grants for Tribal Domestic Violence Coalitions starting in fiscal year 2027 to support administration, training, subgrants, housing partnerships, and outreach. If some funds are not awarded by the sixth month, the Secretary must reallocate them equally to qualifying Tribal coalitions. The bill would also expand the definition of 'family violence' to include physical or sexual violence, stalking, harassment, psychological and economic abuse, technological abuse, and threats to children or dependents, covering partners, relatives, cohabitants, and others protected by local law.
Federal funding and state rules
If enacted, the bill would authorize $270 million per year for FY2027–FY2031 to fund these family violence programs. It would require the Secretary to reserve a Tribal share and then set minimum percentage shares for State grants, coalitions, technical assistance, specialized services, and culturally specific services. Each State (and the four listed territories) would get at least $600,000; the remaining State funds would be split among the 50 States by population (excluding those four territories). States must limit administrative spending to 5 percent and use Federal money to add to, not replace, existing public funds. The Secretary could waive matching rules or other requirements in disasters or public health emergencies and may use a small portion of funds for evaluation and administration.
Civil rights for funded prevention programs
If enacted, the bill would treat prevention programs paid for under this title as Federal financial assistance for civil‑rights law. Programs getting this money would have to follow federal nondiscrimination rules listed in the Violence Against Women Act and may be enforced by the Secretary under the Civil Rights Act.
More research and program evaluation
If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary pay for program research and evaluation through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. The Secretary could fund evaluations and award research or evaluation work to for-profit or nonprofit entities and colleges. This would increase the types of organizations that can get federal contracts or grants to study these programs.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lisa Murkowski
AK • R
Cosponsors
Lisa Blunt Rochester
DE • D
Sponsored 2/3/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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