VIVAS Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6301 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 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 resp