Women Act (VAWA), landmark legislation first passed with bipartisan support in 1994, is set to expire on September 30th unless lawmakers pass a reauthorization bill. The act established the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women and provides funding for the investigation and prosecution of domestic and other interpersonal violence, stalking, and sexual assault.
In July, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced a reauthorization bill that would not only reauthorize funding for VAWA’s existing programs but also establish new policies to help abuse victims remain in stable housing, expand red-flag laws to block people convicted of dating abuse or stalking accessing guns, and broaden protections against abuse for Native American women.
The House is on recess until September 4th and will only have 11 legislative days to pass this critical legislation upon their return. While VAWA reauthorization has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, not a single Republican has co-sponsored the current reauthorization bill. Urge your representatives to stand up for women and reauthorize VAWA.
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from Dayton.
I’m calling in support of H.R.6545, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018. Congress must act swiftly to pass this critical legislation to preserve funding for crucial programs protecting people from domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence.
Thank you for all your hard work answering phones.
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