Choose Respect Act

Choose Respect Act

This bill designates October 1 as Choose Respect Day and establishes a Choose Respect national media campaign to promote awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence.

Specifically, the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice (DOJ) must conduct a national media campaign for the purposes of (1) preventing and discouraging the mistreatment of women, including domestic abuse, violence, stalking, and harassment; (2) supporting evidence-based prevention programs; (3) encouraging victims to seek assistance, including legal representation; and (4) informing the public about the assistance that is available to victims.

Funding provided for the national media campaign may only be used for certain activities related to the campaign, such as advertising costs, tests and evaluations of advertising, partnerships, and outreach. Additionally, DOJ must designate an independent entity to annually evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign.

The bill also requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reimplement their national 2006 Choose Respect initiative. (This initiative was designed to prevent dating violence and encouraged youth ages 11-14 to have healthy relationships.)

Finally, the U.S. Postal Service must issue a semipostal stamp (a stamp sold at a premium to raise funds for causes of national public interest) related to the Choose Respect campaign.