House Passes Delgado-Backed Bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. The bill, which Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) is a cosponsor of, reauthorizes the 1994 Violence Against Women Act and expands upon it to prevent sexual assault and domestic violence, and support survivors.
“With one in three women experiencing domestic violence in our country, reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act could not be more important,” Delgado said. “We know that with the right resources, we can significantly bring down the rate of unconscionable attacks and provide survivors with the support they need. Reauthorizing VAWA cannot and must not get held up any longer by partisan politics – I hope the Senate quickly follows our lead in passing this critical bill.”
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 took historic steps forward in supporting women, providing much-needed resources to law enforcement and community organizations to prevent and prosecute sexual assault and domestic violence, as well as support survivors of these crimes.
Every time the bill has been reauthorized, it has included additional provisions to further these goals. Key new elements to this year’s VAWA Reauthorization:
- Increases funding for the Rape Prevention & Education Program.
- Improves upon and increases funding for programs that support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, including survivors with disabilities and older Americans.
- Enhances tools for law enforcement to prevent crimes before they happen and creates new pilot programs for alternative and community-based methods.
- Closes loopholes in current firearm laws in order to reduce gun violence committed by dating partners and former dating partners.
