Protect Black Women and Girls Act
Sponsored By: Representative Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create an Interagency Task Force on Black women and girls to collect data, coordinate federal agencies, and recommend policies to address disparities in education, health, housing, labor, and justice across the life course.
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- Families and students: The Task Force would examine school discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline, promote restorative justice and after-school or community empowerment programs, and recommend scholarships and supports for children with incarcerated parents and for Black girls with disabilities or religious accommodations.
- Workers and entrepreneurs: The Task Force would study and recommend career and training programs such as pre-apprenticeships, vocational and trades pathways, efforts to reduce occupational licensing barriers, priority contracting for Black women-owned businesses, and re-entry supports for workers who left the workforce for caregiving.
- Justice-involved women and housing: The Task Force would address reentry, parole and diversion expansion, legal help for custody and eviction issues, eligibility for some formerly incarcerated women to serve as foster parents, and increased access to transitional and permanent housing. It notes Black women are admitted to prison at about 3.9 times the rate of White women.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Annual civil rights study on Black women and girls
If enacted, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights would study issues affecting Black women and girls within 1 year and every year after. The study would cover contract opportunities, the wage gap, maternal and infant deaths, early cancer screening impacts, school-to-prison pipeline, housing access, violence and homicide, police use of force, incarceration, and sex trafficking. It would also review ideas like pausing new women’s prisons, changes to the Adoption Safe Families Act, and housing rules for people leaving prison. Federal agencies, including DOJ, HHS, Education, Labor, and NIH, would have to share needed information with the Commission. The Commission would send reports to Congress and the President and post them online each year.
New task force on Black women and girls
If enacted, the Attorney General would set up an Interagency Task Force within 180 days. HHS, Education, Labor, NIH, DOJ, and HUD would each name at least one member, but no more than two. The Attorney General would also appoint one defender organization member and two community group members. Members would serve four-year terms and could be reappointed. The Task Force would study education, jobs, health, justice, and housing for Black women and girls. Topics could include restorative school discipline, job training, maternal health, reentry and legal help, and housing access. It would report to Congress within 1 year and then every year. It would send recommendations to Congress, the President, and each State leader within 2 years and then yearly.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
IL • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11]
OH • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Sewell
AL • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 6/25/2025
Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
CT • D
Sponsored 6/27/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 7/10/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov