Texas Senate Bill 1841 Now in Effect; Grants Rights to Victims of ‘Dating Violence’
September 3, 2024 – This month, Senate Bill 1841 went into full effect for the State of Texas. The bill gives survivors of dating violence access to family violence centers. It also clearly defines dating violence as someone in a dating relationship who causes physical harm, makes someone fear for their safety, or suffers emotional abuse.
Senate Bill 1841 amends the Human Resources Code to update provisions relating to contracts between the Health and Human Services Commission and family violence centers. Among other provisions, the bill does the following:
- requires a center to demonstrate that it is using a voluntary and trauma‑informed advocacy service model as a condition of eligibility for a contract;
- revises the list of services a contracted center is required to provide;
- requires the contracts to specify that participation in services by a victim of family violence is voluntary and to prohibit center operators from requiring a victim of family violence to participate in other services as a condition of receiving shelter.
See the full text of the Bill by clicking here.
