H.R. 3974 — Protect Black Women and Girls Act

This section sets forth congressional findings concerning the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR), including (1) its role in advising Congress, the President, and the public on discrimination or denials of equal protection of the laws because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice; (2) its difficulties collecting information from federal agencies despite powers to take depositions, issue interrogatories and subpoenas, and broad authority under section 3 of the Civil Rights Commission Act of 1983 (42 U.S.C. 1975a); (3) authorization of mandated activities by that section; (4) a definition of interagency task force; (5) a definition of Black women and girls; (6) implicit racial bias experienced by Black people, particularly in school discipline policies and the school-to-prison pipeline for children of color with disabilities; (7) Black girls being suspended and expelled from school at rates exceeding other girls and all boys except Black boys; (8) Black individuals comprising 40% of suspected human trafficking victims and nearly 51% of juvenile prostitution arrests; and (9) Black women being admitted to prison at 3.9 times the rate of White women.

This section establishes an Interagency Task Force on Black Women and Girls, to be created by the Attorney General in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act to examine conditions and experiences of Black women and girls, assess federal, state, and local policies and programs designed to improve outcomes for them, and make related recommendations, in compliance with applicable antidiscrimination laws including those based on race and sex. The task force consists of one to two officers or employees each from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Justice (appointed by agency heads), plus one officer or employee from a defender organization and two representatives from community-based organizations with expertise on culturally specific issues for Black women and girls (appointed by the Attorney General); members serve 4-year terms and are eligible for consecutive reappointment. The task force must identify and recommend programs, policies, and incentives for adoption by federal, state, or local governments with respect to (1) education—including community-led K-12 programs for Black girls (e.g., social-emotional learning with identity-based dialogue, support for children of incarcerated or substance-using parents, college access, empowerment and civic engagement, arts/STEM centers, de-escalation to reduce school detention/incarceration, restorative justice, homeschooling support, and comprehensive sexual health education), programs for Black women (e.g., digital access, parental emotional support training, and immigrant support such as English/citizenship/GED courses), restorative justice curricula, policies prohibiting religious discrimination against Black Muslim girls in K-12 (e.g., allowing religious garments, excusing religious holiday absences, avoiding exams during fasting holidays), and programs for Black girls and parents of children with disabilities—and (2) economic development—including pre-apprenticeship and career exploration in skilled trades/transportation, priority contracting for Black women-owned disadvantaged businesses, entrepreneurship/cooperative training, support for low-income Black women workers and those over age 50 or reentering after caregiving, sustainable employment for women-headed households, reduced occupational licensure barriers, vocational training, and job placement for Black homeless/discriminated youth.

This section directs the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR), not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, to conduct a comprehensive study and collect data on the effects on Black women and girls of 16 specified issues, including (1) lack of federal contract opportunities, (2) wage gap and pay equity, (3) high maternal mortality rate, (4) high infant mortality rate for Black girls, (5) breast cancer screening before age 40, (6) school-to-prison pipeline, (7) housing stability and access, (8) violence including intimate partner violence and homicide, (9) excessive police force, (10) over-incarceration, (11) moratorium on new women's prisons or jails, (12) repeal of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, (13) repeal of housing barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals, (14) neighborhood family reunification support, (15) sex trafficking and state vacatur/expungement laws, and (16) additional items from section 2(e). The USCCR must submit a report on its activities and findings under these duties to Congress, the President, and publicly online on the same timeline. This section requires specified federal entities—including the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor, and the National Institutes of Health—to provide information to the USCCR.