Murkowski, Casey Introduce Bill to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence

Statement

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Bob Casey (D-PA) recently introduced the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 2259), which would enhance and expand support, protection, and prevention for Americans affected by family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. Through FVPSA, survivors receive services such as emergency shelter, crisis counseling, safety planning, and assistance recovering from financial abuse and housing insecurity.

More than 10 million people in the United States are abused each year, and more than one third of women and men in America report that they experienced sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In Alaska, Native women are over-represented in the domestic violence victim population by 250 percent. Programs funded through FVPSA provide education and prevention programming. The bill expands prevention efforts, strengthens and updates the National Domestic Violence Hotline to better serve people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and creates a new program that provides resources for underserved populations.

This legislation would not only increase authorized funding for tribes and tribal organizations; it would authorize funding for tribal coalitions which provide vital support to tribes and tribal domestic violence programs, codify both the Alaskan Native Women's Resource Center (ANWRC) and the currently funded StrongHearts Native Helpline. Both ANWRC and StrongHearts provide culturally-specific technical assistance and support to domestic violence shelters and Alaskan Native survivors with their dependents.

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