[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6301 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6301
To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a
comprehensive, culturally informed, and community-engaged study of
gender-based violence in Puerto Rico, including its causes, prevalence,
systemic drivers, and potential policy solutions, taking into account
the island's cultural, economic, educational, infrastructural, and
post-disaster challenges.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 25, 2025
Mr. Hernandez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a
comprehensive, culturally informed, and community-engaged study of
gender-based violence in Puerto Rico, including its causes, prevalence,
systemic drivers, and potential policy solutions, taking into account
the island's cultural, economic, educational, infrastructural, and
post-disaster challenges.
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 ``Violence Impact and Vulnerabilities
Assessment Study Act'' or the ``VIVAS Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Gender-based violence, including femicides, domestic
abuse, and sexual violence constitutes a serious public health
and human rights crisis in Puerto Rico, disproportionately
affecting women, the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as other
vulnerable and marginalized communities.
(2) This type of violence can take many forms, including
physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological harm.
(3) Existing data on gender violence in Puerto Rico is
fragmented and insufficient, impeding effective policy
responses and resource allocation, in part due to the absence
of a unified and transparent public data system capable of
integrating information across governmental and non-
governmental sources.
(4) The role of local organizations and community advocates
is critical in addressing the crisis, yet their contributions
are not adequately documented or integrated into formal
government strategies.
(5) There is a pressing need for a comprehensive,
culturally informed, and data-driven assessment of gender
violence in Puerto Rico, including an evaluation of
governmental policies, educational approaches, and community-
based interventions.
(6) Such an assessment should include an independent and
thorough study on the causes, impact, and systemic responses to
gender-based violence in Puerto Rico, with particular attention
to cultural context, economic conditions, infrastructure
challenges, and the role of local organizations, in order to
effectively inform Federal and local policy and programming, as
well as sustainable investments in reliable, publicly
accessible data systems.
SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN PUERTO RICO.
(a) Comptroller General.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a comprehensive study on gender-based violence in
Puerto Rico. The study shall assess each of the following:
(1) The prevalence, severity, and types of gender violence
across Puerto Rico, disaggregated by demographic and geographic
factors, including--
(A) detailed analysis of methods and patterns of
violence (e.g., physical force, weapons, coercive
control, economic dependence, digital abuse);
(B) the settings in which violence occurs (e.g.,
home, workplace, public space); and
(C) the relationship between victim and
perpetrator.
(2) Historical and recent trends, including changes after--
(A) natural disasters (such as hurricanes Maria and
Fiona);
(B) economic crises and austerity measures; and
(C) the COVID-19 pandemic.
(3) The manner and extent of the effects on the prevalence,
severity, and types of gender violence of cultural norms,
structural poverty and economic dependency, gender identity and
sexual orientation, educational disparities and unemployment,
inadequate transportation, housing, utility infrastructure,
climate vulnerability and disaster risk, and other factors the
Comptroller General may determine relevant.
(4) Institutional response and capacity, including with
respect to--
(A) law enforcement and judicial practices;
(B) health and social service systems;
(C) shelter access and emergency housing;
(D) access to mental health and trauma care; and
(E) and substance use disorder treatment.
(5) Barriers to prevention, protection, and justice, such
as under-reporting due to stigma and fear, inaccessibility of
services in rural areas, police and prosecutorial shortcomings,
or lack of culturally competent or trauma-informed services.
(6) The intersection of disaster events and gender
violence, including the role of infrastructure collapse,
displacement, and stressors in exacerbating violence and levels
of access to shelters and services during and after disasters.
(7) Data infrastructure and reporting systems, including:
(A) existing Federal, Commonwealth, and local data
systems;
(B) gaps in reporting, accuracy, and demographic
disaggregation; and
(C) recommendations to improve data collection and
transparency, including evaluation of the creation and
implementation of a publicly accessible data system
with clear standards for integration of governmental
and civil-society-generated information.
(8) Public access to femicide-related data and case
updates, judicial outcomes and impunity rates, and Government
accountability mechanisms and oversight, including current
barriers to timely public disclosure and transparency.
(b) Additional Elements.--
(1) Organizational impact analysis.--The study required by
subsection (a) shall also include--
(A) an examination of the reach of local
interventions, the way local organizations and
interventions work to fill systemic gaps to fill
systemic gaps, and challenges in sustainability,
infrastructure, and funding; and
(B) recommendations for--
(i) increasing support and additional
funding to local Puerto Rican organizations;
(ii) improving coordination between local,
Commonwealth, and Federal entities;
(iii) protecting grassroots leadership and
survivor-centered solutions; and
(iv) ensuring disaster-resilient service
delivery.
(2) Analysis of governmental response to femicide.--Upon
concluding the study required by subsection (a), the
Comptroller General shall evaluate--
(A) the Puerto Rican Government's current policies
and institutional strategies to prevent femicide and
gender-based violence, with emphasis on analyzing--
(i) public education campaigns;
(ii) strategic plans and Executive orders;
and
(iii) budget allocations and implementation
status;
(B) the effectiveness of education-focused
governmental initiatives compared to--
(i) law enforcement reform;
(ii) survivor services and safe housing;
(iii) judicial accountability; or
(iv) mental health and trauma support;
(C) the extent to which education-centered
approaches address--
(i) root causes versus symptoms;
(ii) urgent protection versus long-term
cultural change; or
(iii) urban versus rural disparities; and
(D) the results of input from civil society,
survivors, and impacted communities on effectiveness,
gaps, delays or displacement of interventions,
including cases where civil society data or monitoring
efforts identify inconsistencies with official
reporting.
(c) Inclusion of Local Organizations and Community Participants.--
In carrying out the study required by subsection (a), the Comptroller
General shall--
(1) actively engage with Puerto Rican local organizations,
such as--
(A) women's organizations and shelters;
(B) LGBTQ+ advocacy groups;
(C) survivor-led initiatives;
(D) youth and disability rights advocates; and
(E) academic institutions and researchers including
entities that maintain independent monitoring or data-
collection initiatives in the absence of formalized
governmental systems; and
(2) include as a part of such engagement--
(A) community roundtables and listening sessions;
(B) inclusion in research design and data
interpretation; and
(C) opportunities for written and oral testimony.
SEC. 4. REPORT.
(a) Interim Report.--The Comptroller General shall publish an
interim report not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, consisting of such findings as the Comptroller General may
have reached, as of the date of the publication of the interim report,
with respect to the study required by section 3(a) and the additional
elements required by section 3(b).
(b) Final Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress
and concurrently publish in a publicly available form in both English
and Spanish a report that includes--
(1) all findings from the study required by section 3(a);
(2) all additional elements required by section 3(b);
(3) disaggregation of the data and findings by municipality
in Puerto Rico;
(4) the evidence-based recommendations of the Comptroller
General with respect to--
(A) enhancing or supplementing existing strategies
to better balance prevention through education with
structural reform and direct protections;
(B) integrating education within a comprehensive,
multi-sectoral strategy that incorporates law
enforcement, health systems, social services, and
emergency management; and
(C) building transparent, measurable, and
participatory oversight systems, including through
periodic reporting, public dashboards, independent
evaluations, and survivor feedback mechanisms, with
particular attention to ensuring sustained funding,
public accessibility, and long-term maintenance of any
recommended data systems;
(5) a description of mechanisms for ongoing Federal and
local collaboration; and
(6) any other policy, funding, data infrastructure or other
recommendations the Comptroller General determines appropriate,
whether addressed to Federal entities or to agencies of the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as a result of concluding the
study and analysis required by section 3, including options for
establishing or enhancing unified public data system on gender-
based violence in Puerto Rico.
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