In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Representative Christian Menefee (D-TX) is backing two bills aimed at strengthening protections for survivors, expanding access to support services and preventing domestic violence.
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2026, led by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), would reauthorize and expand federal funding for programs that support survivors and prevent family violence. Rep. Al Green’s (D-TX) National Domestic Violence Awareness Month Resolution would raise awareness and support programs designed to end it.
“We need to do everything in our power to improve safety around survivors and their families,” Rep. Menefee said. “And stop this violence from ever happening in the first place.”
This comes as new data from the Texas Council on Family Violence shows over half of the survivors in Texas who sought emergency shelter were denied solely due to a lack of space.
In 2025, 160 Texans lost their lives to domestic violence, leaving 223 children without one or both parents. Harris County recorded the highest number of intimate partner homicides of any county in Texas.
Rep. Green said, as domestic violence has grown to a national crisis, survivors need adequate support and resources now more than ever.
“As a nation, we have both a moral and constitutional duty to ensure every person’s right to safety, dignity, and justice,” Rep. Green said.
Rep. Menefee said the bills will help ensure survivors and communities have the services and resources they need to protect themselves and their families, heal from abuse, and prevent future violence.
“That means investing in early prevention, making sure a survivor has a safe place to turn the moment they ask for help and ensuring our communities have the resources to break the cycle of abuse before someone gets killed,” he said. “These bills will help make that happen.”
