§ 10410. Grants for State domestic violence coalitions
(a)
In general
The Secretary shall award grants for the funding of State domestic violence coalitions. Such coalitions shall further the purposes of domestic violence intervention and prevention through activities, including—
(1)
working with local domestic violence programs and providers of direct services to encourage appropriate responses to domestic violence within the State, including—
(2)
working with judicial and law enforcement agencies to encourage appropriate responses to domestic violence cases and examine issues including—
(I)
the consistency of sentencing, including comparisons of domestic violence crimes with other violent crimes;
(K)
the use of training and technical assistance to law enforcement, judges, court officers and other criminal justice professionals;
(3)
work with family law judges, criminal court judges, Child Protective Services agencies, and children’s advocates to develop appropriate responses to child custody and visitation issues in domestic violence cases as well as cases where domestic violence and child abuse are both present, including—
(D)
the use of training and technical assistance for family law judges, criminal court judges, and court personnel;
(F)
the use of comprehensive protection orders to grant fullest protections possible to victims of domestic violence, including temporary custody support and maintenance;
(G)
the development by Child Protective Service of supportive responses that enable victims to protect their children;
(4)
conduct public education campaigns regarding domestic violence through the use of public service announcements and informative materials that are designed for print media, billboards, public transit advertising, electronic broadcast media, and other vehicles for information that shall inform the public concerning domestic violence, including information aimed at underserved racial, ethnic or language-minority populations; and
(b)
Eligibility
To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity shall be a statewide nonprofit State domestic violence coalition meeting the following conditions:
(1)
The membership of the coalition includes representatives from a majority of the programs for victims of domestic violence in the State.
(3)
The purpose of the coalition is to provide services, community education, and technical assistance to such programs to establish and maintain shelter and related services for victims of domestic violence and their children.
(4)
In the application submitted by the coalition for the grant, the coalition provides assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that the coalition—
(c)
Allotment of funds
From amounts appropriated under this section for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot to each State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the combined U.S. Territories an amount equal to 1/53 of the amount appropriated for such fiscal year. For purposes of this section, the term “combined U.S. Territories” means Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and shall not receive less than 1.5 percent of the funds appropriated for each fiscal year.
(d)
Prohibition on lobbying
No funds made available to entities under this section shall be used, directly or indirectly, to influence the issuance, amendment, or revocation of any executive order or similar promulgation by any Federal, State or local agency, or to undertake to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation by Congress, or by any State or local legislative body, or State proposals by initiative petition, except that the representatives of the entity may testify or make other appropriate communication—
(e)
Reporting
Each State domestic violence coalition receiving amounts under this section shall submit a report to the Secretary describing the coordination, training and technical assistance and public education services performed with such amounts and evaluating the effectiveness of those services.