VAWA passes House, with full protections for LGBT, Native Americans
1:31 PM on 02/28/2013
File photo: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center, accompanied by fellow House Democrats, leads a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, to discuss the reintroduction of the Violence Against Women Act. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Act, extending abuse protections to gay, lesbians, and transgender people, as well as Native Americans and immigrants.
The bill passed 286 to 138, with the support of 87 Republicans; it will now move to the president’s desk to be signed. A GOP substitute bill that left out protections for Native communities and LGBT people was defeated 166 to 257.
Democrats criticized Republicans for passing the bill the day before the sequester hits. Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md said the automatic cuts would “take a sledgehammer” to programs supporting domestic violence victims. “This is shameful,” she said.
After months of obstruction, Congress finally passed a reauthorization of VAWA. But over one hundred Republicans voted against VAWA in the House. Rev. Al Sharpton tries to get inside the GOP mentality of why they would vote “no” on reauthorizing the bill and talks to Rep. Jackie Speier about how it’s an example
The previous VAWA, which created a National Domestic Violence Hotline and authorized federal funding for battered women’s shelters, expired in 2011. It was written by Vice President Joe Biden while he was in the Senate.
Under the current law, funding will continue for shelters and programs that prosecute perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault. New additions to the bill address stalking, spyware, and video surveillance. The bill specifically ensures that LGBT, Native American, and immigrant victims can access services and protections, including grants and legal aid.
The bill also gives greater jurisdiction to tribal courts to prosecute sexual offenders who aren’t Native Americans, but commit crimes against Native Americans or on the reservation. Rape on reservations is very high; 34% of American Indian and Alaska Native women will be raped in their lifetimes.
Those who dare vote against VAWA
| Aderholt Amash Bachmann Barton Bentivolio Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Bonner Brady (TX) Bridenstine Brooks (AL) Broun (GA) Burgess Campbell Cantor Carter Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Collins (GA) Conaway Cotton Crawford Culberson DeSantis DesJarlais Duncan (SC) Duncan (TN) Ellmers Fincher Fleischmann Fleming Flores Forbes Fortenberry Foxx Franks (AZ) Garrett Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Gosar Gowdy Graves (GA) | Graves (MO) Griffin (AR) Griffith (VA) Guthrie Hall Harris Hartzler Hastings (WA) Hensarling Holding Hudson Huelskamp Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hurt Johnson (OH) Jones Jordan Kelly King (IA) Kingston Labrador LaMalfa Lamborn Lankford Latta Long Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Marchant Marino Massie McCaul McClintock Meadows Mica Miller (FL) Mullin Mulvaney Murphy (PA) Neugebauer Noem Nunnelee Olson Palazzo | Perry Petri Pittenger Pitts Pompeo Posey Price (GA) Radel Ribble Rice (SC) Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rohrabacher Rooney Roskam Ross Rothfus Salmon Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Sessions Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Southerland Stewart Stockman Stutzman Thornberry Wagner Walberg Weber (TX) Wenstrup Westmoreland Whitfield Williams Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Womack Woodall Yoho |
| Coble Granger Hinojosa | Johnson, Sam Miller, Gary Reed | Young (AK) |
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