View all text of Subchapter III [§ 20981 - § 20991]
§ 20985. Grants for Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
(a) Findings
Congress finds as follows:
(1) More than 200,000 Americans each year are victims of sexual assault, according to the Department of Justice.
(2) In 2004, 1 American was sexually assaulted every 2.5 minutes.
(3) One of every 6 women, and 1 of every 133 men, in America has been the victim of a completed or attempted rape, according to the Department of Justice.
(4) The Federal Bureau of Investigation ranks rape second in the hierarchy of violent crimes for its Uniform Crime Reports, trailing only murder.
(5) The Federal Government, through the Victims of Crime Act [34 U.S.C. 20101 et seq.], Violence Against Women Act, and other laws, has long played a role in providing services to sexual assault victims and in seeking policies to increase the number of rapists brought to justice.
(6) Research suggests that sexual assault victims who receive counseling support are more likely to report their attack to the police and to participate in the prosecution of the offender.
(7) Due in part to the combined efforts of law enforcement officials at the local, State, and Federal level, as well as the efforts of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and its affiliated rape crisis centers across the United States, sexual violence in America has fallen by more than half since 1994.
(8) RAINN, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation headquartered in the District of Columbia, has since 1994 provided help to victims of sexual assault and educated the public about sexual assault prevention, prosecution, and recovery.
(9) RAINN established and continues to operate the National Sexual Assault Hotline, a free, confidential telephone hotline that provides help, 24 hours a day, to victims nationally.
(10) More than 1,100 local rape crisis centers in the 50 States and the District of Columbia partner with RAINN and are members of the National Sexual Assault Hotline network (which has helped more than 970,000 people since its inception in 1994).
(11) To better serve victims of sexual assault, 80 percent of whom are under age 30 and 44 percent of whom are under age 18, RAINN will soon launch the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, the web’s first secure hotline service offering live help 24 hours a day.
(12) Congress and the Department of Justice have given RAINN funding to conduct its crucial work.
(13) RAINN is a national model of public/private partnership, raising private sector funds to match congressional appropriations and receiving extensive private in-kind support, including advanced technology provided by the communications and technology industries to launch the National Sexual Assault Hotline and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline.
(14) Worth magazine selected RAINN as one of “America’s 100 Best Charities”, in recognition of the organization’s “efficiency and effectiveness.”.1
1 So in original. The second period probably should not appear.
(15) In fiscal year 2005, RAINN spent more than 91 cents of every dollar received directly on program services.
(16) The demand for RAINN’s services is growing dramatically, as evidenced by the fact that, in 2005, the National Sexual Assault Hotline helped 137,039 people, an all-time record.
(17) The programs sponsored by RAINN and its local affiliates have contributed to the increase in the percentage of victims who report their rape to law enforcement.
(18) According to a recent poll, 92 percent of American women said that fighting sexual and domestic violence should be a top public policy priority (a higher percentage than chose health care, child care, or any other issue).
(19) Authorizing Federal funds for RAINN’s national programs would promote continued progress with this interstate problem and would make a significant difference in the prosecution of rapists and the overall incidence of sexual violence.
(b) Duties and functions of the Administrator
(1) Description of activities
The Administrator shall—
(A) issue such rules as the Administrator considers necessary or appropriate to carry out this section;
(B) make such arrangements as may be necessary and appropriate to facilitate effective coordination among all Federally funded programs relating to victims of sexual assault; and
(C) provide adequate staff and agency resources which are necessary to properly carry out the responsibilities pursuant to this section.
(2) Annual grant to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
The Administrator shall annually make a grant to RAINN, which shall be used for the performance of the organization’s national programs, which may include—
(A) operation of the National Sexual Assault Hotline, a 24-hour toll-free telephone line by which individuals may receive help and information from trained volunteers;
(B) operation of the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, a 24-hour free online service by which individuals may receive help and information from trained volunteers;
(C) education of the media, the general public, and populations at risk of sexual assault about the incidence of sexual violence and sexual violence prevention, prosecution, and recovery;
(D) dissemination, on a national basis, of information relating to innovative and model programs, services, laws, legislation, and policies that benefit victims of sexual assault; and
(E) provision of technical assistance to law enforcement agencies, State and local governments, the criminal justice system, public and private nonprofit agencies, and individuals in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving victims of sexual assault.
(c) Definitions
For the purposes of this section:
(1) Administrator
(2) RAINN
(d) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 109–248, title VI, § 628, July 27, 2006, 120 Stat. 638; Pub. L. 117–347, title I, § 105(e), Jan. 5, 2023, 136 Stat. 6204.)