President Joe Biden will mark the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday by announcing new measures to address gender-based violence, senior administration officials said.
Biden will address survivors, advocates and allies on the South Lawn at an event commemorating the law, senior administration officials said in a call with reporters.
Jennifer Klein, a Biden adviser and director of the White House Gender Policy Council, which Biden created in 2021 to advance gender equality, said the Justice Department will announce a series of measures to support victims of gender-based violence, including a $690 million grant this year and plans for a new national resource center to address cybercrime.
The information center is intended to help law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and victim support groups combat cybercrime against people, including cyberstalking and sharing intimate images without consent, Klein said.
The Justice Department also plans to increase federal funding for state and local law enforcement agencies, Klein said. She said there will be more funding opportunities for programs that confiscate firearms from people convicted of a domestic violence offense or who are subject to a protective order.
Klein said the Department of Housing and Urban Development will also announce on Thursday a new office focused on gender-based violence that will help victims find safe housing and economic stability.
Biden is trying to shore up his reputation in the final months of his term after dropping out of the presidential race in June.
In 2022, he signed a bill reenacting the Violence Against Women Act, which he first introduced as a senator in 1990.
The first legislation, passed in 1994 through a bipartisan crime bill, included the first national domestic violence hotline.
The comprehensive 2022 legislation includes provisions to protect against online harassment and abuse.
Biden’s American Rescue Plan also included investments focused on gender-based violence. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act program reported that about $1 billion in additional funding has supported 252 tribes, 1,500 domestic violence programs and 1,400 sexual assault programs.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
