Matt Van Epps (R-TN)

SHIELD for Victims Act of 2026

H.R. 10470 · House bill Crime and Law Enforcement

A Republican bill with no cosponsors

Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

In committee

Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.

The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. In Committee

What this bill would do

This bill is known as the Screening Harm, Identifying Escalating Lethality Danger for Victims Act of 2026 or the SHIELD for Victims Act of 2026. It directs the Attorney General to develop and publish an evidence-based lethality assessment tool for law enforcement use regarding domestic violence within one year. The tool must include a model questionnaire and be developed after consulting relevant experts and considering best practices. Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers are required to provide training and refresher training on this tool to covered Federal law enforcement officers. Additionally, the Attorney General must make the training curriculum and materials publicly available. Finally, the Secretary of Homeland Security must submit a report to Congress setting forth a plan to connect Federal law enforcement officers to local domestic violence response resources.

Yes· 3 of 4

  • Scored +6

    Would women be better off under this?

    By improving law enforcement identification and response to domestic violence, the bill helps protect female victims of intimate partner violence.

  • Scored +5

    Does this change how police departments operate?

    The bill mandates specialized training for federal law enforcement officers on using domestic violence lethality assessment tools.

  • Scored +4

    Does this narrow the gap between how men and women are treated?

    The bill establishes an evidence-based lethality assessment tool for domestic violence, which disproportionately affects women.

The opposite

No question was scored the opposite.