To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to establish a grant program to support protective orders that protect individuals who are related by blood or marriage to individuals in intimate relationships, and for other purposes.
Melanie's Law establishes a federal grant program to help states implement and enforce protective orders that shield family members from domestic violence. Specifically, the law allows courts to issue protective orders not only for people in intimate relationships, but also for their blood relatives and in-laws who may be at risk. States become eligible for federal funding only if they first adopt these expanded protective order laws. The Attorney General would distribute up to $200 million per year through 2036, with funds supporting law enforcement training, court systems, victim services like emergency shelter and legal aid, and specialized domestic violence units. The grants would be divided with 75 percent allocated to states based on population, 22 percent available through competitive grants, and 3 percent reserved for federal administration.
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