Murray, Roybal-Allard Introduce Legislation to Empower Domestic Violence Survivors, Break Down Economic Barriers

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) introduced the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act of 2015. The SAFE Act builds on progress made through legislation like the Violence Against Women Act and the Affordable Care Act to continue raising awareness and breaking down the economic barriers that domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking create for survivors and their families.

The SAFE Act would ensure survivors who need services like medical attention and legal assistance can take safe leave from work, allow survivors who had to leave their job to receive unemployment insurance, protect survivors from being fired because of harassment by an abuser or because they requested protections at work to stay safe, and invest in a national awareness campaign to encourage a culture of prevention and support.

"As we work to combat the ongoing public health epidemic of domestic violence, we should be doing everything we can to break down economic barriers that survivors and their families face," said Senator Murray. "Survivors should not have to choose between economic security and safety. The SAFE Act would take critical steps to ensure survivors aren't trapped in abusive relationships for financial reasons, and can seek protections at work without fear of punishment."

"When we talk about victims of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and revenge pornography, we often ignore that this abuse can have a severe economic impact on victims," said Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. "It can cost victims their jobs, their homes, their health, and their insurance -- and, in cases of domestic violence, reinforce their dependency on their abusers as a result. This is chilling, and it must stop. That is why I have introduced the SAFE Act, which will provide victims with the job protections, financial skills, and employment leave they need to ensure their economic, professional, and physical security and independence."

Organizations supporting the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act of 2015: National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), American Association of University Women (AAUW), National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women's Law Center, The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, Legal Momentum, Legal Voice, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, Washington State Sexual Assault Coalition Program, and YWCA Works.

Source