ENHANCING CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY SPECIFIC SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND STALKING.

SEC. 121. ENHANCING CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY SPECIFIC SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND STALKING. (a) Establishment.—(1) In general.—Of the amounts appropriated under certain grant programs identified in paragraph (a)(2) of this Section, the Attorney General, through the Director of the Violence Against Women Office (referred to in this section as the “Director”), shall take 5 percent of such appropriated amounts and combine them to establish a new grant program to enhance culturally and linguistically specific services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Grants made under this new program shall be administered by the Director. (2) Programs covered.—The programs covered by paragraph (1) are the programs carried out under the following provisions: (A) Section 2101 (42 U.S.C. 3796hh), Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies. (B) Section 1201 of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 3796gg–6), Legal Assistance for Victims. (C) Section 40295 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13971), Rural Domestic Violence and Child Abuser Enforcement Assistance. (D) Section ___ of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. ___), Older Battered Women. (E) Section ___ of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. ___), Disabled Women Program. (b) Purpose of Program and Grants.—(1) General program purpose.—The purpose of the program required by this section is to promote: 119 STAT. 2992(A) The maintenance and replication of existing successful services in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking community-based programs providing culturally and linguistically specific services and other resources. (B) The development of innovative culturally and linguistically specific strategies and projects to enhance access to services and resources for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who face obstacles to using more traditional services and resources. (2) Purposes for which grants may be used.—The Director shall make grants to community-based programs for the purpose of enhancing culturally and linguistically specific services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Grants under the program shall support community-based efforts to address distinctive cultural and linguistic responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. (3) Technical assistance and training.—The Director shall provide technical assistance and training to grantees of this and other programs under this Act regarding the development and provision of effective culturally and linguistically specific community-based services by entering into cooperative agreements or contracts with an organization or organizations having a demonstrated expertise in and whose primary purpose is addressing the development and provision of culturally and linguistically specific community-based services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. (c) Eligible Entities.—Eligible entities for grants under this Section include—(1) community-based programs whose primary purpose is providing culturally and linguistically specific services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (2) community-based programs whose primary purpose is providing culturally and linguistically specific services who can partner with a program having demonstrated expertise in serving victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. (d) Reporting.—The Director shall issue a biennial report on the distribution of funding under this section, the progress made in replicating and supporting increased services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who face obstacles to using more traditional services and resources, and the types of culturally and linguistically accessible programs, strategies, technical assistance, and training developed or enhanced through this program. (e) Grant Period.—The Director shall award grants for a 2-year period, with a possible extension of another 2 years to implement projects under the grant. (f) Evaluation.—The Director shall award a contract or cooperative agreement to evaluate programs under this section to an entity with the demonstrated expertise in and primary goal of providing enhanced cultural and linguistic access to services and resources for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, 119 STAT. 2993 sexual assault, and stalking who face obstacles to using more traditional services and resources. (g) Non-Exclusivity.—Nothing in this Section shall be interpreted to exclude linguistic and culturally specific community-based programs from applying to other grant programs authorized under this Act.