Bill Summary: Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017

Introduction

The "Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017" is a bill introduced in the 115th Congress, 1st Session by Ms. C LARK of Massachusetts along with several other Representatives. Its purpose is to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence from emotional and psychological trauma caused by acts of violence or threats of violence against their pets.

Main Provisions of the Bill

The bill contains several key provisions:

Amendment to existing law: The bill proposes amendments to existing laws to include pets of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking within certain provisions related to interstate stalking, violation of protection orders, and restitution.
Emergency and transitional pet shelter and housing assistance grants: The bill establishes a grant program to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets. The grants can be used for emergency and transitional shelter and housing assistance, short-term shelter and housing assistance, support services for victims and their pets, and training of stakeholders. Eligible entities, such as states, local governments, and organizations with a history of effective work in domestic violence, can apply for these grants.
Grant conditions: Entities receiving the grants must agree to maintain confidentiality of information about victims and their pets and cannot condition the provision of support or housing on victims' participation in all services. Assistance for pets can be provided for up to 24 months, with a possible extension of 6 months in certain cases.

Authorization and Reporting

The bill authorizes an appropriation of $3,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2017 to 2021 to fund the grant program. A maximum of 5% of the funding can be used for administrative expenses. The bill also requires eligible entities to submit reports on the assistance provided to victims and their pets, and the Secretary of Agriculture must submit a compilation of these reports to relevant committees in Congress and other related agencies.

Sense of Congress

The bill expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion of protections against violent or threatening acts against a person's pet in domestic violence protection orders.

Rep. Kathy Castor

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