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house Bill H.R. 1585

Should Grants Aimed at Preventing Violence Against Women Be Reauthorized?

Argument in favor

This reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act would expand and improve the national response to the crisis of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This bill’s reforms will prevent violence against women.

Lori's Opinion
···
03/31/2019
Despite the me too movement, the current administration has done away with sexual harassment policies so now their is no more training about this in the workplace. Kind of sends the message that's okay. This along with the fact that the "liar in chief" a.k.a. #45, is an admitted sexual assaulter of women screams that we do something to prevent violence against women.
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John's Opinion
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04/03/2019
It’s a shame that women are treated as nothing more than sex toys by the same group that pretends to hold the sanctity of women so high. What is truly being said is that women should know their roll and shut up. When will the inequality ever stop. I dont think it’s going to be in my lifetime but we will push on until that day.
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burrkitty's Opinion
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04/04/2019
Violence against women is still very real. Working to combat that is a valuable thing.
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Argument opposed

The Violence Against Women Act’s programs are too important for Congress to let VAWA become a partisan issue, but unfortunately House Democrats have done just that by including many ideological provisions.

Tom's Opinion
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04/03/2019
The federal government is not a bank! The federal government should live within its constitutional limitations and leave it to the states to deal with issues that are not clearly in our federal Constitution
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JTJ's Opinion
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04/04/2019
These are local issues to be funded at the local level.
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ManfromNebraska's Opinion
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04/04/2019
There are laws in place to protect all people regardless of gender. We don’t need special treatment for individual groups.
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What is House Bill H.R. 1585?

This bill would reauthorize through fiscal year 2024 the Violence Against Women Act’s (VAWA) grant programs, which aim to protect women from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The VAWA’s most recent authorization lapsed in December 2018. A breakdown of what this bill reauthorizes and reforms can be found below.

Some of the VAWA’s noteworthy grant programs include:

  • Training programs for law enforcement officers to improve their understanding of sexual assault as a crime, their ability to interview victims, and the quality of police investigations.

  • Training programs for district attorneys to help improve their ability to prosecute rape.

  • Training for judges to improve the environment for victims when cases go to trial.

  • Programs encouraging the reporting of sexual assault to police.

  • Funding for victim services and prevention programs at local sexual assault service providers.

  • Funding for sexual assault prevention programs on college campuses.

  • Funding for victim services in underserved areas.

  • Efforts to eliminate the backlog of untested DNA evidence from unsolved rape cases in accordance with the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act.

Among the reforms to VAWA programs that this bill would make include:

  • A requirement that relevant law enforcement agencies be notified when a prohibited purchaser previously convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence or stalking obtains or attempts to obtain a firearm.

  • It would be illegal for individuals subject to a temporary protective order to own a firearm (current law only bars gun ownership for permanent protective orders).

  • Requiring states to discourage the use of bench warrants as a means of compelling victim-witness testimony during the investigation, prosecution, trial, or sentencing of a VAWA-related crime or lose VAWA grant funding.

  • Requiring the Bureau of Prisons to develop rules under which a transgender prisoner’s sex is determined according to the sex with which they identify, and to give serious consideration to a transgender or intersex prisoner’s views about their safety given an assignment to a facility with male or female prisoners.

Impact

Women; sexual assault survivors; sexual assault prevention programs; sexual assault survivor programs; sexual assault victim services; DNA backlogs; law enforcement officers; district attorneys; judges; colleges; LGBTQ community; DOJ; HHS; and VAWA.

Cost of House Bill H.R. 1585

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

More Information

In-Depth: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) offered the following statement about this bill’s passage through his committee:

“This 2019 reauthorization bill expands the existing protections of VAWA, modernizes and updates its programs, and responds to the needs identified by the survivors and advocates across this nation. I’m disappointed my Republican colleagues on the Committee chose to promote their anti-trans agenda during the VAWA hearing and again today while marking up the legislation. Instead of working with us to strengthen and pass this bill, they chose to offer amendments that would strip gender identity provisions from the bill that were passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2013 and already part of current law. VAWA has always had strong bipartisan support and I ask that our Committee Republicans join our Republican co-sponsor in supporting this 2019 bill to continue this precedent.”

House Republicans opposed this bill in the Judiciary Committee, writing in its committee report:

“Though we agree the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) should be reauthorized, we are disheartened by H.R. 1585… We share the majority’s belief that VAWA should serve the purpose of preventing violence and serving victims, but we believe H.R. 1585 is counterproductive to achieving those goals… Rather than continu[ing] to wield VAWA as a political weapon, we encourage Democrats to work with us on an alternative that preserves and strengthens the program while maintaining its intent.”

A spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association (NRA) told the HuffPost that it would oppose this VAWA reauthorization because of what it calls a lack of due process

“The fact that Nancy Pelosi and her minions of anti-gun zealots insist on adding a gun-control poison pill to an otherwise good bill is just another example of the shameful politics Americans hate and why they have such a negative view of politicians.”

This legislation passed the House Judiciary Committee on a party-lin vote of 22-11 and has the support of 167 cosponsors, all but one of whom is a Democrat.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Nevena Ristic)

AKA

Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019

Official Title

To reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, and for other purposes.

bill Progress

  • Not enacted
    The President has not signed this bill
  • The senate has not voted
  • The house Passed April 4th, 2019
    Roll Call Vote 263 Yea / 158 Nay
      house Committees
      Indigenous Peoples of the United States
      Committee on Education and Labor
      Committee on Financial Services
      Committee on Energy and Commerce
      Committee on Natural Resources
      Committee on the Judiciary
      Committee on Ways and Means
      Committee on Veterans' Affairs
    IntroducedMarch 7th, 2019
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    Lori's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    03/31/2019
    Despite the me too movement, the current administration has done away with sexual harassment policies so now their is no more training about this in the workplace. Kind of sends the message that's okay. This along with the fact that the "liar in chief" a.k.a. #45, is an admitted sexual assaulter of women screams that we do something to prevent violence against women.
    Like (122)
    Follow
    Share
    Tom's Opinion Against
    ···
    04/03/2019
    The federal government is not a bank! The federal government should live within its constitutional limitations and leave it to the states to deal with issues that are not clearly in our federal Constitution
    Like (44)
    Follow
    Share
    John's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    04/03/2019
    It’s a shame that women are treated as nothing more than sex toys by the same group that pretends to hold the sanctity of women so high. What is truly being said is that women should know their roll and shut up. When will the inequality ever stop. I dont think it’s going to be in my lifetime but we will push on until that day.
    Like (82)
    Follow
    Share
    burrkitty's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    04/04/2019
    Violence against women is still very real. Working to combat that is a valuable thing.
    Like (58)
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    Share
    Kodiwodi's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    04/04/2019
    With or without the gun reform this should be automatic. To not support this with the gun reform shows who is taking NRA money and must be voted out next year.
    Like (45)
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    OlderNWiser's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    04/04/2019
    Of course grants to protect women from violence should be renewed. Who, except abusers, is pro absolute control over a woman by her batterer? Domestic abuse is a never-ending horror story that rivals war. It escalates and ends in death of the woman and her children too often.
    Like (44)
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    JTJ's Opinion Against
    ···
    04/04/2019
    These are local issues to be funded at the local level.
    Like (42)
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    IllWill's Opinion In Favor
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    04/04/2019
    It’s amazing that the right still apparently thinks that women should be treated as second-class citizens. Reauthorize the VAWA with all the reforms! Individuals who are subject to a temporary protective order should certainly not own a firearm! Keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people!
    Like (32)
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    I.Got.an.Idea...'s Opinion In Favor
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    04/02/2019
    Yes. We need to go after Root Cause. If you can target Conservatism that teaches that “Men” are superior to “Women” and that women must obey and do as they are told by men, and mind their place in life and society, etc., then we may make some progress. I run into Conservative women who say that what is wrong with American families, is that women do not know their place in life, and should keep their mouths shut and obey their husbands or men in general and blah blah blah. Conservatism teaches/ trains/ brainwashes women and boys and girls that women should be beaten if they do not mind their men. The root issue is in Conservative families and cultures that subscribe to Conservative ideologies.
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    ManfromNebraska's Opinion Against
    ···
    04/04/2019
    There are laws in place to protect all people regardless of gender. We don’t need special treatment for individual groups.
    Like (22)
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    Joel's Opinion In Favor
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    04/01/2019
    Our "grab their genitals" crook in the White House deems this reauthorization necessary.
    Like (19)
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    John's Opinion In Favor
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    04/03/2019
    Yes they should; and perhaps they can be used to study how a man who said “he can grab women by the pussy when ever he wants because he’s famous” could possibly ever become president.
    Like (18)
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    Anita's Opinion In Favor
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    03/31/2019
    THis bill should never have lapsed. The trend in Americans government now is going against protecting women. You have the opportunity to reverse this trend by reauthorizing V AWA.
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    davidf's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    04/04/2019
    Of course these grants need to be reauthorized. Domestic violence and abuse is real. Only someone who believes power and control, and male dominance of women is acceptable would vote against this.
    Like (15)
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    Anne marie 's Opinion In Favor
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    03/31/2019
    This bill is necessary to protect women. There is a great deal of violence against women and this bill will add needed protections such as preventing people who have either temporary or permanent restraint orders in their names from obtaining guns.
    Like (14)
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    Brian's Opinion In Favor
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    04/04/2019
    What more can be said about this? Now the Republicans are opposed to stopping violence against women.
    Like (14)
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    George's Opinion In Favor
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    04/01/2019
    This is the responsibility of a civilized society.
    Like (14)
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    Liz's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    04/01/2019
    Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act grant funding will allow the YWCA of NEIN and other agencies provide vital services to people in your district. We are over capacity at the crisis shelter and have limited options where victims can go. We are also depending on grant money to build our sexual assault services in the community to help people heal and bring advocates to the legal process.
    Like (13)
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    Bruce's Opinion In Favor
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    04/01/2019
    Of course, they should. Does anyone think there is no more violence against women in the Trump era? I should think there is actually more violence against women, people of color, muslims, jews and other religious minorities and migrants.
    Like (13)
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    Renee's Opinion In Favor
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    04/04/2019
    You need to reauthorize the VAWA now
    Like (13)
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