Reauthorizing the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the House's action last Friday to pass legislation (H.R. 6014) to reauthorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, FVPSA, a bill that was introduced with bipartisan support by Rep. Glenn Thompson, myself, and Reps. Elise Stefanik and Lisa Blunt Rochester. I am pleased that the House, on a bipartisan basis, was able to reach agreement and expedite passage of this key law. I again want to thank Rep. Thompson, Rep. Stefanik, and Rep. Blunt Rochester for joining with me and their hard work in getting us to this moment.
FVPSA, originally enacted in 1984, is at the heart of our nation's response to domestic violence, ensuring that local domestic violence shelters and programs are able to keep their lights on and doors open to serve more than 1.3 million victims and their children every year.
FVPSA funds nearly hundreds of community-based programs. These programs provide emergency shelter, counseling, legal assistance, crisis intervention, and domestic and dating violence prevention education. FVPSA also provides funding for tribal governments to deliver essential services to survivors and supports the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which is often the first call made by survivors. H.R. 6014 would simply extend the current programs at current funding levels through FY 2023.
It's critical to remember that the most dangerous moment for women experiencing intimate partner violence is that point in time when they decide to do something about their situation, and that is the point in which there has just got to be a resource there. That is what the programs and funding through FVPSA helps to provide.
Mr. Speaker, recent high-profile cases have brought a national focus on domestic violence, but such violence isn't limited to Hollywood. The #MeToo movement has given all survivors a renewed courage to come forward for help. I cannot underscore enough that it is critical that Congress act to ensure that the resources and supports are in place to help them when they do. Passing FVPSA is a good step forward.
In that vein, I hope my colleagues will take the next step and bring VAWA reauthorization legislation (H.R. 6545), introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and myself and over 170 of our colleagues, that would strengthen and improve those critical programs, to the floor as quickly as possible. No more needless delay.
I applaud colleagues on both sides for their work to help move this commonsense and noncontroversial bill out of the House last Friday. While we can't end every single act of violence, we must help create the space and the opportunity for these victims to be able to come forward and to leave these situations.
I hope that the Senate will act expeditiously to send this bill to the President's desk for signature into law.
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