The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the landmark piece of legislation that aims to prevent and end violence against women, is up for reauthorization! The bipartisan Senate bill, sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) passed the Senate on April 26 by a vote of 68-31. Currently, a bill is pending before the House Judiciary Committee sponsored by Representative Sandra “Sandy” Adams (R-FL) that would roll back VAWA protections as well as abandon Native women, immigrant and LBGT victims. This bill, called the Adams-Cantor bill or H.R. 4970, will be marked up in Committee on today and the YWCA opposes this bill. Instead, we want to see a bipartisan bill that includes ALL victims. A House floor vote is expected in coming weeks.
YWCA USA sent this letter (PDF) to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee today.
Related Links:
- Why is the U.S. Senate Playing Politics with Violence Against Women? By Gloria Lau, CEO, YWCA USA
- View photos from the VAWA markup press conference on Facebook