The Democratic Women’s Caucus is committed to ensuring that every woman and family across the world can live safely in their communities, workplaces, and homes. Parents should never have to fear gun violence in their children’s schools, nor teachers while they’re at work. Every workplace, classroom, and branch of the military must be a safe environment where discrimination and sexual assault are not tolerated, reporting systems are trusted, and resources are readily available to prevent harm and support survivors. We are fighting for a future where survivors are believed and supported, and abusers are held accountable. The DWC stands with women and girls in every corner of the world, working for their right to live free from violence and to pursue their dreams in safety and strength. In a world with safety and accountability at the center of every community, women can freely exercise their rights and build stronger, more secure futures for themselves and those they love.
Better Future Legislative Slate: Women’s Safety
Women’s safety is one of the key pillars in our Better Future Agenda. As Trump and Republicans threaten the safety of women at home, in the voting booth, in the workplace, and at school, the Democratic Women’s Caucus has a bold vision and is charting a different path forward. We demand a future that ends gender-based violence and supports survivors; addresses the gun violence epidemic; secures global human rights, including for immigrant women and girls; confronts discrimination; protects voting rights; and promotes democracy and the Constitution. DWC members are championing legislative solutions that would deliver safety, justice, and accountability for women and families. Below is a slate of bills led by DWC members that we are actively pushing forward to fulfill our commitment to building a safer, more equitable future for all. This legislative slate is in honor of all survivors, victims of violence, and those whose lives have been taken. We will continue to fight for them.
This bill, introduced by DWC Chairwoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), would amend the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to authorize $30 million each year from 2026 to 2030 to strengthen relationships between health systems and community-based sexual assault programs to support survivors of sexual assault.
This bill, introduced by DWC Senate Liaison and Caregiving Task Force Co-Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06), would establish a process for survivors of domestic violence to request the termination or disabling of connected vehicle services that could be misused by an abuser.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Gwen Moore (WI-4), would amend the nation’s tax code to ensure survivors of sexual abuse and unwanted sexual contact do not have to pay taxes on settlement income when they prevail legally against their abuser.
This bill, introduced by DWC Senate Liaison and Caregiving Task Force Co-Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06), would provide new grant funding to clinics and other partnerships focused on domestic violence and technology-enabled abuse prevention. It would also support new training that would give organizations the specialized services necessary to help survivors with a range of experiences
This bill, introduced by DWC Senate Liaison and Caregiving Task Force Co-Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06), would prevent convicted stalkers, and all former dating partners convicted of a domestic violence offense, from buying or owning firearms, regardless of when the relationship occurred.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), would amend the Public Health Service Act to expand trauma-informed training for law enforcement personnel and emergency medical technicians related to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking cases, and for other purposes.
Supporting Faith-Based Survivors Act
This bill, introduced by DWC Chair Emertia Lois Frankel (FL-22), would establish a new Office on Violence Against Women grant program to better equip faith communities with the tools, training, and partnerships needed to support survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
This bill, introduced by DWC Vice Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13), would ensure survivors of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault can break a lease without penalty, giving them the freedom to leave dangerous living situations without facing financial or legal consequences.
This resolution, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), expresses support for and honors families and survivors through the designation of November 20, 2025, through December 20, 2025, as “National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month.” This resolution would help bring attention to the fact that in the United States, women are disproportionately murdered as a result of intimate partner violence and in their homes.
This bill, introduced by Chair Emerita Lois Frankel (FL-22), would remove the tax penalty on settlements, awards, and judgments paid to survivors of sexual harassment and assault.
This bill, introduced by DWC Vice Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13), would lower the current 10-year marriage requirement for spousal Social Security benefits to five years for individuals who divorce due to domestic abuse. This change would prevent survivors from being financially penalized for leaving unsafe relationships and help them achieve economic independence.
This bill, introduced by DWC Vice Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13), would invest $50 million over five years in a pilot program to train healthcare providers in evidence-based, trauma-informed care.
This bill, introduced by DWC New Dem Coalition Liaison Norma Torres, would create a civil remedy for survivors of stealthing, addressing a form of sexual violence that disproportionately harms women and threatens their bodily autonomy, safety, and reproductive control.
This bill, introduced by DWC New Dem Coalition Liaison Norma Torres (CA-35), would encourage states to adopt legal protections against stealthing, strengthening women’s rights to consent, sexual safety, and control over their reproductive and physical well-being.
Safer Sports for Athletes Act
This bill, introduced by DWC Policy Task Force Co-Chair Deborah Ross (NC-02), would strengthen the U.S. Center for SafeSport through improvements in the investigative process for athlete survivors of sexual abuse, promote communication with sports national governing bodies, and revise training guidelines, all while providing SafeSport with enhanced funding.
Closing Bankruptcy Loopholes for Child Predators Act
This bill, introduced by DWC Policy Task Force Co-Chair Deborah Ross (NC-02), would allow child sex abuse victims to continue conducting discovery during bankruptcy proceedings. Currently, the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings halts other active civil litigation in cases involving child sex abuse. This addresses misuse of the bankruptcy system by organizations facing lawsuits for child sex abuse. Many organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Catholic archdioceses, and USA Gymnastics, are facing a high volume of lawsuits from. These organizations often end up filing for bankruptcy, which allows them to stop discovery and silence survivors.
This bill, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Kelly Morrison (MN-03), would require the VA to update its directives regarding the emergency management of acute sexual assault patients.
This bipartisan and bicameral bill, introduced by DWC Congressional Black Caucus Liaison Lucy McBath (GA-06), would direct the Department of Labor (DOL) to train its employees to identify human trafficking and refer suspected trafficking crimes to law enforcement.
This bipartisan bill introduced by DWC member Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), would amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the implementation of curricula for training students, teachers, and school personnel to understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human trafficking and exploitation in children and youth.
This bill, introduced by DWC Senate Liaison and Caregiving Task Force Co-Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06) & DWC member Lori Trahan (MA-03), would establish clear, nationwide standards to protect patients during sensitive medical examinations and procedures.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), would mend the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to create a civil private right of action that addresses production, distribution, and solicitation of deepfake pornography made without the consent of the person whose likeness is depicted within the pornographic video graphic or still image, allowing victims to seek and receive relief such as injunctive relief, punitive damages, and any other cognizable damages present.
This bill, introduced by DWC Senate Liaison and Caregiving Task Force Co-Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06), would temporarily provide additional deposits to stabilize the Crime Victims Fund.
This bill, introduced by DWC Vice Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13), would prohibit the use of personal tracking devices to track people without their consent.
This bill, introduced by DWC Whip Emily Randall (WA-06), would codify Biden-era Department of Homeland Security policy that prohibits immigration enforcement at disaster response locations, ensuring that first responders can focus on saving lives without fear of detention or deportation.
This bill, introduced by DWC Member Services Task Force Co-Chair Sara Jacobs (CA-51), would protect the privacy of personal reproductive or sexual health information, and for other purposes.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Summer Lee (PA-12), would create a Division of Public Safety within the Department of Health and Human Services to fund, conduct, and coordinate research, technical assistance, and grant programs related to non-carceral, health-centered investments in public safety.
This bill, introduced by DWC New Dem Coalition Liaison Norma Torres (CA-35), would reclassify 911 dispatchers as protective service workers, strengthening the emergency response systems women rely on, and uplifting a workforce that is itself overwhelmingly made up of women responding to domestic violence, stalking, and other crises.
Fair Legal Access Grants Act
This bill, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Judy Chu (CA-28), would ensure that any person filing a red flag petition has access to the legal representation, counsel, and resources needed to be heard and successfully file an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) petitions.
This bipartisan bill, introduced by DWC member Laura Friedman (CA-30), would improve safety and peace of mind for women riding and operating transit by creating a new federal grant program to hire additional police officers and build key safety infrastructure upgrades. Women are three times as likely to be concerned for their safety on shared modes of transit.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Doris Matsui (CA-07), would better protect passengers aboard cruise ships through updated passenger safety standards and cruise line reporting requirements, such as informing passengers of their rights in advance of a voyage and having a means to seek recourse if such rights are violated. This bill would be helpful for women in the case of understanding rights after a sexual assault. In 2024, over 120 sexual assaults on cruises were reported to the FBI, and through September, 102 have been reported in 2025.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), would annually authorize $50 million over the next five years for gun violence prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This bill, introduced by DWC member Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), would restrict bulk sales of ammunition by requiring businesses to conduct background checks on buyers and would require businesses who sell ammunition to obtain the same federal license as gun dealers. Additionally, the bill also applies the same prohibition on straw purchases for ammunition that currently exists for firearms, restricting individuals from purchasing ammunition to then sell illegally to others and requiring data sharing on ammunition sales.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), would create federal requirements for safe gun storage and strong penalties for any violations.
This bill, introduced by DWC Congressional Black Caucus Liaison Lucy McBath (GA-06), would ban certain semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity gun magazines. These types of weapons are frequently used in mass shootings, including such high-profile tragedies as Highland Park, Uvalde, Parkland, and the Atlanta spa shootings.
This bill, introduced by Reps. Robin Kelly (IL-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), would require a firearms seller to provide each purchaser with a compatible secure gun storage or safety device (commonly known as a “gun lock”) for every firearm they buy.
This bill, introduced by DWC member LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) and Jahana Hayes (CT-05), would invest $360 million to establish state and local gun buyback programs with grant funding, making it easier and safer to get guns off the streets.
This bill, introduced by DWC New Dem Coalition Liaison Norma Torres (CA-35), would require federally licensed firearms dealers to report the sale of two or more long guns—such as AR-15s or AK-47s—to the same individual within a five-day period.
This bill, introduced by DWC Progressive Caucus Liaison Jill Tokuda (HI–02), would help law enforcement stay ahead of this emerging threat by developing a system to observe interstate shipments of gun kits used to build ghost guns and detect individuals who are acquiring gun parts but are not licensed to possess a firearm.
This bill, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), would incentivize states to adopt gun-licensing standards similar to those proven effective in Massachusetts.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), would prevent gun sellers from circumventing technology companies’ terms of service by making it illegal to fraudulently sell firearms and ammunition online.
Language Access to Gun Violence Prevention Strategies Act
This bill, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Judy Chu (CA-28), would provide translations of all public facing resources provided by DOJ and HHS related to gun violence prevention strategies and directs the Attorney General and Secretary of HHS to develop and implement a national public awareness campaign for federally supported gun violence prevention strategies and firearm ownership safety.
This bill, introduced by DWC Equality Caucus Liaison Julie Johnson (TX-32), would restore transparency and accountability by requiring the U.S. State Department to include reproductive rights once again in its annual Human Rights Reports.
This bill, introduced by DWC Whip Sarah McBride (DE-At-Large), would direct the U.S. government to identify and sanction foreign persons who are responsible for torture, arbitrary detention, physical attacks, murder, and other flagrant abuses against LGBTQI+ individuals.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Dina Titus (NV-01), would protect LGBTQI+ rights by codifying into law protections and safeguards for the rights of LGBTQI people around the world.
This bill, introduced by DWC Member Services Task Force Co-Chair Sara Jacobs (CA-40), would increase effectiveness and improve transparency of the U.S. government’s efforts to localize its partner base in implementing development and humanitarian assistance.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Sylvia Garcia (TX-24), would protect the health and safety of pregnant women in immigration detention by reinstituting their presumption of release, prohibiting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from shackling pregnant women in its custody, and setting new standards of care and transparency for the treatment of pregnant women and youth.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), would reduce maternal deaths by establishing reporting standards for pregnant individuals in custody of law enforcement.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), would bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing facial coverings during enforcement actions and requiring them to wear clothing displaying their name and affiliation with ICE.
This bill, introduced by DWC New Dems Coalition Liaison Norma Torres (CA-35), would ensure that women facing immigration proceedings have access to legal counsel, protecting their due process rights and safeguarding them from exploitation and abuse.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Maxine Dexter (OR-03), would ensure the Department of Homeland Security allows noncitizens who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families. The bill comes after months of credible reporting that ICE and CBP have deprived detainees – including children and longtime legal residents – of the ability to access a lawyer, sometimes for months at a time. People have also reportedly been taken into custody and, in some cases, transferred to facilities in other countries, without being allowed to contact their families.
This bill, introduced by DWC Policy Task Force Co-Chair Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), would prohibit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services from disclosing Medicaid data to be used for immigration enforcement. Immigrant mothers should not have to fear the possibility of deportation to access essential Medicaid services for their U.S. citizen children.
This resolution, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), would affirm the Equal Rights Amendment is the 28th Amendment of the Constitution and enshrines protections for gender equity into the constitution.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Robin Kelly (IL-02), would create a federal task force to address the unique harms faced by Black women and girls across multiple sectors, promoting safer, more equitable communities.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Angie Craig (MN-02), DWC member Sharice Davids (KS-03), DWC member Becca Balint (VT at Large), DWC Equality Caucus Liaison Julie Johnson (TX-32), DWC Whip Sarah McBride (DE at Large), and DWC Whip Emily Randall (WA-06), would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.
This bill, introduced by DWC members Summer Lee (PA-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), and DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), would direct the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives to replace gender-specific pronouns and nouns in the United States Code with gender-neutral language, and for other purposes. This helps to ensure women and the LGBTQIA+ community are properly reflected in the U.S. Code, thus taking a step toward addressing systemic discrimination.
This bill, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), would amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for public health research and investment into understanding and eliminating structural racism and police violence.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Lori Trahan (MA-03), would enshrine athletes’ Name, Image, Likeness rights into federal law, implements guardrails to protect against predatory agents, expands opportunities for women’s and Olympic sports as well as smaller schools, including HBCUs, and sets college athletics on a path to an enduring governance model that centers athletes.
This bill, introduced by DWC Reproductive Health Care Task Force Co-Chair & Liaison Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and DWC members Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Ilhan Omar (MN-06), would invest in safe and nurturing school environments for all students to put an end to the harmful way students are overcriminalized and policed at school.
The bill, introduced by DWC member Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), would require schools to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics and religion.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Terri Sewell (AL-07), would restore and modernize the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), addressing modern-day voter suppression and ensuring every voter, regardless of race or background, has equal access to the ballot box.
This bill, introduced by DWC Vice Chair Hillary Scholten (MI-03), would mandate that IGs can only be removed before the end of their term for neglect of duty, gross mismanagement, knowing violations of the law, or abuse of authority. Additionally, the bill would create an Inspector General for the Executive Office of the President, including the National Security Council (NSC), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and DOGE, to conduct internal investigations and ensure robust oversight within these offices.
This bill, introduced by DWC member Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), would protect due process by preventing individuals from facing expedited removal from the U.S. if they are nationals of or would be deported to countries designated by the State Department as engaging in severe violations of religious freedom.
This bill, introduced by DWC Congressional Hispanic Caucus Liaison Andrea Salinas (OR-06), would ensure that all eligible voters in America have the option to vote by mail. Additionally, this bill would increase participation in our elections and ensure that more Americans can make their voices heard.
This bill, introduced by DWC Congressional Hispanic Caucus Liaison Andrea Salinas (OR-06), would restrict the ability for the president to deploy the National Guard for the purposes of immigration and domestic law enforcement. Although the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 already prevented the use of the military as a national police force, the new act would amend the United States Code to reinforce that the National Guard may not be ordered to support the enforcement of federal immigration laws while on federal pay or under federal authority.
DWC Letters in the 119th Congress
Below is a list of letters sent by the Democratic Women’s Caucus to fight for women’s safety by defending civil rights, advocating for survivors of violence, safeguarding access to health care, and demanding accountability from government agencies. Through these actions, DWC consistently pushes back against policies and practices that endanger women and insists on transparency, enforcement, and justice.
Calls for an immediate investigation into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s mistreatment of women in their custody.
Calls for ICE to prioritize women’s safety by requiring ICE agents to visibly and clearly identify themselves when conducting immigration enforcement activities, as well as ensure impersonators are held accountable.
Calls on Speaker Johnson to swear in Rep. Grijalva, who committed to becoming the 218th signature on the discharge petition to release the Epstein Files.
Demands the urgent release and investigation of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women currently detained by Immigration and Custody Enforcement (ICE) in contradiction to Federal regulations.
Calls for urgent accountability after the Army failed to intervene in the widespread sexual misconduct of Dr. Major Blaine McGraw at Fort Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center.
