September marks the 20th Anniversary of the enactment of VAWA - the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 - it toughened domestic violence laws and increased resources to combat violence against women. And as a former prosecutor, I can tell you the law was critically important. It gave prosecutors the tools and the resources necessary to aggressively prosecute those who commit violent acts against women, and it provided federal funds to help prevent domestic violence, and to assist victims of crime. I was a champion for crime victims in the legislature in Texas and in 2013, my first year in Congress, I was a proud co-sponsor of the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The reauthorization, one of the few things that congress actually agreed on, underscores that there is no place for domestic violence in our society. Recent events in the NFL have brought domestic violence back to the forefront of our national dialogue and I’m glad to see that our national commitment to end domestic violence is stronger than ever. A few months ago, when funding cuts were proposed to domestic violence programs, I introduced a bi-partisan amendment to a 2015 Appropriations bill that not only reminded those in Congress of our obligation to fight domestic violence, but it also set aside $2.5 million for the Prevention and Prosecution section of the Office of Violence Against Women. And it set aside an additional $2.5 million for the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Enforcement program that keeps shelters in rural areas of our nation open and available for those needing services, because when you’ve got to leave home, you’ve got to have somewhere to go. When one in four women will face domestic violence in their lifetime, protecting those we love from domestic violence, it’s not just an option - it’s an obligation, and an obligation I take very seriously. Today, I urge all of us, all Americans, to push domestic violence out of our society - there’s no room for it. And as a community, we must ensure that those affected by domestic violence have somewhere to go - that they’re protected, that they’re given a hand to get their feet back on the ground. If you’re in need of support, leaving or ending a domestic violence situation, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233) - and know that all calls are confidential . Let’s end domestic violence.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:10:00 +0000
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