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Violence Against Women Act Passes
House WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ-3rd) hailed the passage of the Violence Against Women Act on the floor of the House of Representatives today. "Domestic violence is an ugly, destructive force in our society," said Saxton, a cosponsor of the bill, H.R. 1248. "Violence against women wrecks lives, scars childhoods and breaks up families." The vote was 415-3. Saxton has supported increases in funding levels for the VAWA programs, including a $34 million raise in funding to STOP Violence against Women Formula Grants. Administered by the Office of Violence against Women in the Department of Justice, STOP is a grant program created to improve the law enforcement and prosecution of domestic violence. H.R. 1248 reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 for an additional five years. The bill authorizes $3 billion dollars over the next five years to fund various programs that support state and local efforts to shelter battered women, train local police and court officials how to handle domestic abuse cases, and provide a hotline and counseling services to battered women. In addition to reauthorizing existing programs, the bill also authorizes several new ones, including $10 million in grants to disabled victims of gender motivated crimes and requirements that battered women shelters comply with the Americans with Disabilities Acts; $200,000 for training emergency medical personnel, including nurses, in treating sexually abused patients as well as establishing procedures for handling of evidence in rape cases; provisions ensuring that Legal Services Corporation grantees can help victims of sexual abuse obtain assistance in civil cases against their attackers; and funds to provide transitional housing assistance to women and their children when fleeing from domestic abuse. "We must fight the cycle of domestic violence on every front," Saxton said. "Here in Washington, in every state, in every county and in every home, it must be known that acts of violence against women are crimes against society, and society will not remain silent or sit idly by. There are too many victims who need our help." Since it was signed into law in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act has been credited with substantially reducing the levels of violence committed against women and. The Justice Department estimates that violence against women has decreased by 21 percent since the law was passed. The bill has been credited with providing shelter space for more than 300,000 women. Though the bill doubles the amounts currently authorized for the program, the Appropriations Committee provided only $284 million for FY 2001, the same as FY 2000.
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