Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§280b–1a Interpersonal violence within families and among acquaintances

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES › Part Part J— - Prevention and Control of Injuries › § 280b–1a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary, through the CDC Director, must run programs to address violence among family members and people who know each other. The work includes collecting data on how often it happens, paying for research and program evaluations, and giving grants for demonstration and prevention projects. It also means giving the public information and training health care providers to spot victims, routinely check patients for signs, and refer people to services like counseling, housing, legal help, and community organizations. Covered types of violence: domestic violence, sexual assault, spousal abuse, woman battering, partner abuse, elder abuse, and acquaintance rape.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §280b–1a

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)With respect to activities that are authorized in section 280b and 280b–0 of this title, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall carry out such activities with respect to interpersonal violence within families and among acquaintances. Activities authorized in the preceding sentence include the following:
(1)Collecting data relating to the incidence of such violence.
(2)Making grants to public and nonprofit private entities for the evaluation of programs whose purpose is to prevent such violence, including the evaluation of demonstration projects under paragraph (6).
(3)Making grants to public and nonprofit private entities for the conduct of research on identifying effective strategies for preventing such violence.
(4)Providing to the public information and education on such violence, including information and education to increase awareness of the public health consequences of such violence.
(5)Training health care providers as follows:
(A)To identify individuals whose medical conditions or statements indicate that the individuals are victims of such violence.
(B)To routinely determine, in examining patients, whether the medical conditions or statements of the patients so indicate.
(C)To refer individuals so identified to entities that provide services regarding such violence, including referrals for counseling, housing, legal services, and services of community organizations.
(6)Making grants to public and nonprofit private entities for demonstration projects with respect to such violence, including with respect to prevention.
(b)For purposes of this part, the term “interpersonal violence within families and among acquaintances” includes behavior commonly referred to as domestic violence, sexual assault, spousal abuse, woman battering, partner abuse, elder abuse, and acquaintance rape.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 393 of act
July 1, 1944, was renumbered section 394 and is classified to section 280b–2 of this title. Another prior section 393 of act
July 1, 1944, was renumbered section 394 and was classified to section 280b–4 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 280b–1a

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73