Rosen Signs on to Legislation to Address Rape Kit Backlog, Continues to Help Lead the Charge in Congress to Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act

Statement

Today, on the 24th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03) released the following statement on her continued efforts in Congress to combat domestic violence and address the nation's rape kit backlog. Rosen, a member of the Congressional Task Force to End Domestic Violence, was an original cosponsor of legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Earlier this week, Rosen signed on to the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R.5341), legislation that would reauthorize programs to prioritize the handling of unprocessed DNA in states where there is a rape kit backlog. VAWA, which authorizes programs to assist and empower survivors of domestic violence across the nation, is set to expire on September 30. The bill Rosen helped introduce earlier this summer would extend VAWA programs, including those aimed at eliminating the rape kit backlog, through 2023.

"Violence Against Women Act funds are essential to assisting survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence by providing access to counseling, housing, life-saving services, and supporting law enforcement efforts on these issues," said Rosen. "VAWA and the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act also include important provisions that are critical to helping us address the nation's rape kit backlog. We cannot allow these programs to expire, and I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure we get this done and support Nevada women."

BACKGROUND: Rosen is a member of the Democratic Women's Working Group and supports a number of bills aimed at protecting women from domestic violence and sexual assault. In May, Rosen successfully passed an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act to make domestic violence a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that was later signed into law in August. The amendment was based on bipartisan legislation Rosen introduced with Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) in December 2017 and would prevent convicted domestic abusers from purchasing firearms by making domestic violence its own specific criminal offense, closing a dangerous loophole in the UCMJ. Prior to the enactment of this year's NDAA, a domestic violence conviction was categorized as assault because an article for domestic violence did not exist in the military code.

Rosen also helped introduce a bill to codify Title IX protections for sexual assault survivors and earlier this year voted in favor of bipartisan legislation to provide state and local prosecutors additional resources to eliminate the rape kit backlog. Last month, Rosen co-sponsored the Survivors' Access to Support Care Act (H.R. 6387), bipartisan legislation that would provide grants to states to identify areas of improvement in health care delivery services for sexual assault survivors.

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