# 119-hr-8965: SAFE for Survivors Act of 2026

119-hr-8965, SAFE for Survivors Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8965
- As of: 2026-09-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8965
- Congress: 119
- Title: SAFE for Survivors Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-05

## Summary

**Guaranteed safe leave and new workplace and insurance protections for survivors of gender-based violence.** This bill would create a federal right to paid and unpaid leave, bar certain forced arbitration, and limit insurer and employer discrimination against survivors. - Workers and families: Would let employees take up to 40 workdays in any 12-month period for counseling, relocation, legal and medical needs, and other recovery steps, with at least 10 workdays paid. - Employers and federal employees: Would require job restoration, continuation of health benefits, strict confidentiality, and ban predispute arbitration or joint-action waivers for claims under the law. It would also forbid employer retaliation for using leave. - Insurers, service providers, and communities: Would block insurers from denying or canceling coverage because someone is a survivor, require victim privacy protocols, create FTC enforcement and private lawsuits, reauthorize Violence Against Women Act support, and fund public health infrastructure. *Would increase federal spending by at least $75.0 million for public-health grants across FY2027–2031 and add other program and implementation costs.*

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Min, Dave [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Insurance privacy and anti-bias rules: benefit, medium. If enacted, insurers would be barred from denying or limiting policies, claims, or charging higher premiums because someone is a victim of qualifying violence. Insurers would have to adopt written safety and privacy procedures, limit use and disclosure of victim‑identifying information to health‑ca…
- Unemployment for abuse survivors: benefit, medium. If enacted, a State could not deny unemployment pay just because a person voluntarily left work if the separation was due to being a victim of qualifying violence. States would have to accept proof such as a sworn statement and ID, a police or court record, or documentation from a professional or v…
- Worker safe leave and help: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would have to give each worker at least 40 workdays of "safe leave" in any 12-month period, and workers would choose at least 10 of those days to be paid. Safe leave could be used for counseling, moving, court, medical care, childcare, benefits help, and other recovery steps.…
- Grants and legal help for victims: benefit, low. If enacted, HHS would get $15 million each year for FY2027–2031 for public‑health supports and victim services under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. The bill would let victim service organizations and Tribal, State, and territorial coalitions provide materials and help to employers…
- Enforcement, damages, and protections: mixed, high. If enacted, workers could sue employers who violate safe‑leave or anti‑retaliation rules and recover damages at least equal to the larger of $1,000 or lost wages or benefits, plus interest, actual losses, and attorneys' fees. Courts could award extra (liquidated) damages for willful violations unle…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8965 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8965)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8965 (as of 2026-09-05).