Maine’s senior U.S. senator, Susan Collins (R), signed on to allocate a nominal amount of federal funds to a uniquely targeted program for domestic violence prevention training for cosmetologists.

“No state, no community, and no family is immune to the horrors of domestic violence. In Maine, domestic violence has historically been involved in approximately half of annual homicides. That’s unacceptable,” said Sen. Collins.

The bill, the Supporting the Abused by Learning Options to Navigate Survivor (SALONS) Stories Act sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), drew bipartisan support from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

Sen. Blackburn’s bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow grants for states that require domestic violence training for licensure as a cosmetologist or a barber. It aims to encourage more states to pass legislation like Illinois’ 2017 law, which requires the training.

“Ending domestic violence requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and the SALONS Stories Act would equip cosmetologists with the tools they need to join the fight. It’s a bipartisan, commonsense idea that has the potential to save lives,” said Collins.

Blackburn claimed that “beauty professionals” have a unique relationship with their clients that allows them to identify signs of domestic violence.

The bill allocates $5 million per year, from 2027 to 2033, to fund the additional grants.