Initially passed in 1984, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is the first federal law that acknowledges domestic and sexual violence as crimes. VAWA dramatically changes law enforcement and community responses to these crimes because it calls for a coordinated community response to domestic and sexual violence and expanded them to include dating violence and stalking – with it reauthorization in 2000. Following its reauthorization in 2005, it further expanded its scope by responding to communities working to prevent violence.
VAWA expired in 2011. To date, it has not been reauthorized. VAWA is scheduled for a vote in the US Senate today (February 7, 2013) and with 61 co-sponsors, demonstrates a strong position for passage in the Senate. The Bill – introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Crapo (R-ID) augments protections in housing programs, provides for enhancements in Tribes, expands victim protections, acknowledges and includes campus programs, provides DV training for custody evaluators, and expands the designation of rural grants, and defines an interactive reporting system to evaluate policies. However, it is important to note, this is not a bill that can be compromised to achieve its reauthorization. It must be passed with all provisions to assure for the safety of all vicitms of domestic, sexual, and dating violence, as well as stalking – and the best chance to enhance measures to prevent violence.
In the House, lawmakers have only just begun reviewing VAWA and since its 2011 sponsor was not re-elected, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) has begun to build support for a new bill in the House of Representatives.
PASS The Violence Against Women Action NOW, Because….. leave your comments to tell us why.
Tweet your Senators to remind them to vote for S. 47, the reauthorization of VAWA that protects ALL victims.
Vote yes for S. 47, bipartisan #VAWA bill today to support ALL survivors! Vote against non-germane or harmful amdmnts, no substitutes!
[Twitter Name] thx all Senators voting for S.47, bipartisan #VAWA bill! Accept no non-germane or harmful amendments or substitutes!
[Name of Senator] Show survivors of domestic & sexual violence u care – vote 4 S.47, bipartisan #VAWA bill and against all non-germane or harmful amendments, no substitutes!
“Follow” HOPE on Twitter – @AKHOPECenter for frequent Updates on #PassVAWA.
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This is an important Bill in the Senate Right now, and people can track its progress on OpenCongress through this link: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/113-s47/show
There are 60 other senators co-sponsoring this bill. At the link above, you can view the cosponsors, link to their pages and contact them directly there too.
The Senate voted yesterday to proceed with S. 47. The “compromise” amendment to it promoted by Senator Grassley (R-IO) was not included. That is an encouraging turn of events. When it comes to the safety of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence – we can accept no substitute.