Published: February 9, 2012
Even in the ultrapolarized atmosphere of Capitol Hill, it should be
possible to secure broad bipartisan agreement on reauthorizing the
Violence Against Women Act, the 1994 law at the center of the nation's
efforts to combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The
law's renewal has strong backing from law enforcement and groups that
work with victims, and earlier reauthorizations of the law, in 2000
and 2005, passed Congress with strong support from both sides of the
aisle.
Yet not a single Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in
favor last week when the committee approved a well-crafted
reauthorization bill introduced by its chairman, Senator Patrick
Leahy, and Senator Michael Crapo, a Republican of Idaho, who is not on
the committee.
The bill includes smart improvements aimed, for example, at
encouraging effective enforcement of protective orders and reducing
the national backlog of untested rape kits. The Republican opposition
seems driven largely by an antigay, anti-immigrant agenda. The main
sticking points seemed to be language in the bill to ensure that
victims are not denied services because they are gay or transgender
and a provision that would modestly expand the availability of special
visas for undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic violence
— a necessary step to encourage those victims to come forward.
Senator Charles Grassley, the committee's ranking Republican, offered
a substitute bill that not only cut out those improvements but called
for a huge reduction in authorized financing, and elimination of the
Justice Department office devoted to administering the law and
coordinating the nation's response to domestic violence and sexual
assaults. His measure was defeated along party lines.
Mustering the 60 votes needed to get the bill through the full Senate
will not be easy, even though previous reauthorizations were approved
by unanimous consent. Recalcitrant Republicans should be made to
explain to voters why they refuse to get behind the federal fight
against domestic violence and sexual assaults.
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/opinion/republicans-retreat-on-domestic-violence.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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