HouseH.R. 10470119th Congress
SHIELD for Victims Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10470 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10470
To direct the Attorney General to develop an evidence-based lethality
assessment tool for use by law enforcement with respect to domestic
violence and to develop a public awareness campaign with respect to
resources for victims of domestic violence, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 16, 2026
Mr. Van Epps introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Attorney General to develop an evidence-based lethality
assessment tool for use by law enforcement with respect to domestic
violence and to develop a public awareness campaign with respect to
resources for victims of domestic violence, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Screening Harm, Identifying
Escalating Lethality Danger for Victims Act of 2026'' or as the
``SHIELD for Victims Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) As already recognized by the National Institute of
Justice (NIJ), intimate partner violence is a pervasive issue
in the United States. And researchers at the NIJ found that the
Lethality Assessment Program reduced the severity and frequency
of violence survivors experienced.
(2) The Lethality Assessment Program is a lethality screen
for intimate partner violence victims recognized by the U.S.
Department of Justice as a ``promising practice'' in intimate
partner homicide prevention.
(3) The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice
Programs has an existing relationship with the Lethality
Program Maryland Model and encourages DOJ to keeping this model
in mind when developing its trainings.
(4) Utah, Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, South Dakota, and
Montana have existing language in state law regarding the
lethality assessment program. Additionally, local communities,
including the Metro Nashville Police Department, have
successfully implemented their own Lethality Assessment
Program.
(5) It is important to include a primary aggressor training
in the LAP training curriculum.
SEC. 3. EVIDENCE-BASED LETHALITY ASSESSMENT TOOL.
(a) Development and Publication.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall develop
and make publicly available an evidence-based lethality
assessment tool for use by law enforcement officers in
identifying victims of domestic violence, assessing the risk of
serious injury or death with respect to such victims, and
connecting such victims to appropriate resources.
(2) Requirements.--In developing the evidence-based
lethality assessment tool under paragraph (1), the Attorney
General shall--
(A) consult with relevant experts and consider
applicable best practices; and
(B) establish a model questionnaire to be
implemented as part of such tool.
(b) Training Responsibilities of Federal Law Enforcement Training
Centers.--
(1) In general.--Section 884(d) of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 464(d)) is amended by adding at the end
the following new paragraph:
``(13) Evidence-based lethality assessment tool training
required.--
``(A) In general.--The Director shall provide to
each covered Federal law enforcement officer--
``(i) a training with respect to the
evidence-based lethality assessment tool
developed under section 2 of the SHIELD for
Victims Act of 2026; and
``(ii) a refresher training with respect to
such tool to be completed by such officer at
least once every 3 years after the date on
which such officer completes the training
described in clause (i).
``(B) Definition.--For purposes of this paragraph,
the term `covered Federal law enforcement officer'
means a Federal law enforcement officer (as such term
is defined in section 2 of the Law Enforcement
Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 (34 U.S.C.
50301)) if the duties of such officer--
``(i) are primarily related to collection
of evidence, interdiction and seizure of
contraband, surveillance, execution of search
warrants, analysis of information, arrest of
suspects, development of cases for
prosecutions, or any other investigation and
enforcement duties pertaining to Federal laws
and regulations; or
``(ii) are primarily related to preventive
patrol, responding to complaints and reports of
illegal activities, arresting violators,
traffic control, crowd control, handling of
emergencies, or other traditional law
enforcement responsibilities.''.
(2) Public availability.--The Attorney General shall make
publicly available the curriculum and materials related to the
training developed under paragraph (13) of section 884(d) of
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 464(d)), as added
by paragraph (1).
SEC. 4. REPORT.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to Congress a report
setting forth a plan to ensure Federal law enforcement officers are
connected to local domestic violence response resources as necessary
when properly conducting the Lethality Assessment Program.
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