On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed the 2,741-page Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, enacting provisons of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2022 that:
[Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022, Sec. 1507: Online Survey Tool for Campus Safety]
The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 requires the Department of Education to consult with the Attorney General, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a standardized online survey tool for institutions to gather data about student experiences with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking, including questions designed to gather information about
Additionally,
The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 added a smorgasbord of audiences and topics for prevention education programs that qualify for grant funds, with a specific focus on preventing VAWA offenses and Title IX violations in education and health care, as follows:
Audience: Higher Ed Health Care Providers and Students
Medical, psychology, dental, social work, nursing, and other health profession students, interns, residents, fellows or current health care providers (including midwives and doulas) Prevention Education Interdisciplinary training and education to prevent and respond to VAWA offenses, including how to:
42 USC § 280g-4. Grants to strengthen the healthcare system’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking $20M for each FY 2023-2027 (at least 10 percent shall be made available for historically Black colleges and universities) |
Audience: Campus health centers, appropriate campus faculty, and professionals who deal with students on a daily basis, higher education students
Training on how to:
Audience: Campus personnel
Training on victim-centered, trauma-informed interview techniques for someone who has experienced intimate partner/sexual violence
Audience: All Higher Ed Students
Prevention/education programming that covers VAWA offenses, technological abuse, and reproductive and sexual coercion; is developed in partnership or collaboratively with experts in intimate partner and sexual violence prevention and intervention; and is:
34 USC § 20125. Grants to combat violent crimes on campuses
$15M for each FY 2023-2027
[Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022, Sec. 1314]
The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 require that the Secretary of Education, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General establish a joint interagency task force (“Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education”) by September 1, 2022, to provide recommendations for K-12 schools and higher education institutions on
The Task Force would also assess the Department of Education’s ability to assess fines for Title IX noncompliance, and submit recommendations to Congress for assembling a highly-qualified workforce in the Department of Education to investigate Title IX complaints, and make recommendations to the Department of Education on imposing fines for Title IX noncompliance.
The most significant change in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 is the requirement that institutions deliver mandatory, ED-authored campus climate surveys.
With the exception of this provision, and those that create task forces, the prevention education requirements in the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 only apply to those schools and institutions that receive grant funds. However, these provisions make clear that prevention education is a priority of the current administration and that future Title IX regulations or other regulatory action by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will likely emphasize prevention to address Title IX and VAWA offenses committed by or against students and employees in K-12 schools and IHEs that receive federal funding.
Our sexual assault prevention training courses are proven to positively impact attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs for a safer, healthier campus. Choose the Clery Act and Title IX training courses that best meet your needs and budget.