Implement the SHIELD For Victims Act to train federal law enforcement officers to conduct lethality assessments in domestic violence situations and connect high-risk victims with crisis hotlines and support resources.
Commitment kind: action. Promised action: Implement a lethality assessment program through the SHIELD For Victims Act, including training federal law enforcement officers to conduct assessments and connect high-risk domestic violence victims with crisis resources.. Promised outcome: Domestic violence victims at high risk would be connected with advocates, safety planning, housing, transportation, court navigation, and other resources to help protect themselves and their children.. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired. Official congressional press release from Rep. Matt Van Epps as U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 7th District describing legislation he introduced during his current federal term.
Occurrences
Today, Rep. Matt Van Epps (TN-07) introduced the Screening Harm, Identifying Escalating Lethality Danger (SHIELD) For Victims Act . This legislation would implement an evidence-based intervention program used by first responders to identify victims of intimate partner violence called a Lethality Assessment. Under the Lethality Assessment protocol, victims identified as being at high risk are immediately connected with a domestic violence crisis hotline.
Van Epps introduced the SHIELD For Victims Act, which would implement lethality assessments for intimate partner violence and connect high-risk victims with crisis hotline support.
unverified · Source version 59741 · locator unknown
“Today, Rep. Matt Van Epps (TN-07) introduced the Screening Harm, Identifying Escalating Lethality Danger (SHIELD) For Victims Act.”
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Official House release shows Van Epps introduced the SHIELD For Victims Act during the lookback window, which is concrete effort but not enactment or implementation.
unverified · Source version 59741 · locator unknown
“This legislation trains federal law enforcement officers to conduct a Lethality Assessment when encountering a domestic violence situation.”
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The official release ties the introduced bill to the promised federal law-enforcement training and lethality-assessment policy, but describes proposed legislation rather than an implemented program.
unverified · Source version 59746 · locator unknown
“Latest action (Sep 16, 2026) Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.”
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Congress-derived bill tracking indicates H.R. 10470 had only been referred to committee as of the latest action found, so the commitment remains unresolved.
unverified · Source version 59748 · locator unknown
“HR 10470 119th Congress • 2025-2027 (Current)”
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): LegiList identifies the measure as H.R. 10470 in the current 119th Congress and lists it as introduced, supporting that the known activity is legislative effort in Van Epps’s current House term.
unverified · Source version 59750 · locator unknown
“The legislation would require that the model protocol is released within one year of the bill’s enactment”
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Reporting on the bill text describes key obligations as contingent on future enactment, reinforcing that introduction alone has not implemented the promised program.
unverified · Source version 59752 · locator unknown
“Sep. 16, 2026 | Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.”
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): A second Congress-derived tracker matches the committee-referral status and shows no later passage or enactment in the lookback window.