Violence against Women

For the past decade, the Violence Against Women Act has served as a landmark piece of legislation that has provided crucial aid to women, men and children experiencing violence. VAWA programs and services, with the support of federal, state and private funding, have changed and improved our nation's responses to violence at the federal, state, local and even college campus level. When VAWA was first authorized in 1994 it not only increased funding for programs and services, but it also attempted to improve law enforcement's response to violence. In 2000, VAWA was reauthorized and added some improved services for rural, older, immigrant and disabled women.

From 1994 to 2005, the Violence Against Women Act provided rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and law enforcement agencies with the expertise and services they needed to begin the work of prevention and protection for women, men and children affected by violence. When former President Clinton signed VAWA in 1994, $1.62 billion was authorized for the law's first 6 years. In 2000, funding was doubled to $3.17 billion for 5 years. However, due to war expenditures and tax cuts brought on by this Republican Administration, the proposed $6.2 billion for the 2005 VAWA reauthorization has been cut to a dismal $3.9 billion for the next 5 years.

During my time in the State legislature, women's issues were always among my top priorities. Now that I am in Congress, that priority has not changed. That's why I became an original co-sponsor of Representative Zoe Lofgren's comprehensive 2005 VAWA comprehensive legislation. VAWA 2005 includes additional programs to prevent domestic violence before it occurs. Included in the legislation is enhanced economic security, increased protection of battered immigrant women and children, enhanced protection of victim's personal information, an emergency contraception program, additional resources to help prevent attacks by phony police and public officials and to combat human trafficking and a comprehensive DNA database.  In the coming weeks, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to ensure that this legislation gets passed and that vulnerable women are given the resources they need to protect themselves from the threat of violence.