Sponsors (7)
The bill offers modest, time-limited federal funding to encourage state-required domestic-violence training for cosmetologists and barbers—potentially improving survivor identification and services—while risking uneven state uptake, limited long-term funding, and added administrative burdens.
State governments and local victim-service nonprofits can receive additional, predictable federal support (up to a 10% VOCA grant boost for adopters plus a $5M/year authorization) to fund domestic-violence training and victim services, enabling wider free training delivery by service providers.
Cosmetologists, barbers, and their clients (especially survivors, including many women) are more likely to have domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence recognized and receive referrals because of required training in jurisdictions that adopt the requirement.
Residents in states that do not adopt the training receive no grant boost, creating uneven incentives and potential disparities in availability of training and victim-service funding across states.
The grant boost is capped (10%) and limited to at most three years per state, so the additional funding may be modest and temporary relative to long-term program and service costs.
State licensing authorities and victim-service providers will face administrative burdens and compliance costs to administer, verify, and apply for the training-related grant boost.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a temporary grant incentive (up to 10% increase) for States that require free domestic-violence training for cosmetologist and barber licensure applicants and authorizes $5M/year for FY2027–2033.
Official title: Amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase grants to combat domestic violence for States that implement domestic violence prevention training for cosmetologists and barbers, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 11, 2025 by Marsha Blackburn · Last progress February 11, 2025
Provides a financial incentive for States to require free domestic-violence training for cosmetologist and barber licensure applicants by allowing a temporary grant increase. Eligible States that require qualifying domestic-violence training can receive a one-year boost of up to 10% of their average recent Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) section 2007(a) awards; increases may be renewed but not paid for more than three years per State. The bill authorizes $5 million annually for FY2027–FY2033 to carry out the program, with funds available until expended.