Grove: House Approves Bipartisan Bill to Assist Victims of Domestic Violence

March 20, 2025

HARRISBURG – In an effort to improve support for victims of domestic violence, the House approved legislation proposed by House Labor and Industry chairmen Reps. Seth Grove (R-Dover) and Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia) to expedite unemployment benefits for individuals affected by domestic violence.

“This truly bipartisan bill is a commonsense approach to address an oft-overlooked aspect of domestic violence. Victims have been forced to quit their jobs because their abusers know where they work and have turned up there to do them harm,” Grove said. “Being forced to stop working at no fault of their own is not cause to wait a long period of time to receive unemployment benefits, especially when, in most cases, the victim had leave home with very little or nothing.” 

Under current law, people who had to quit their jobs as the result of a domestic violence situation are only eligible for unemployment compensation after a lengthy process. The Grove-Dawkins legislation, House Bill 274, would speed up the process for claims when an applicant provides documentation of a domestic violence situation. When acceptable documentation is approved, the claimant would be eligible for benefits should all other qualifications also be met.   

House Bill 274 also permits employers to receive automatic relief from charges for these claims.  

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.