Vawa Technical Amendment Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, l rise today in support of S.7, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Technical Amendment Act of 2022. This bill will ensure the full inclusion of Native Hawaiians, the indigenous peoples of our country whose origins lie in Hawaii, in the Services, Training, Officers and Prosecutors (STOP) Grants for Tribal Coalitions program under VAWA.

Violence against indigenous women has reached crisis levels on tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages. In Hawaii, gender-based violence against Native Hawaiians is also at a breaking point.

Much like their American Indian and Alaska Native counterparts elsewhere, Native Hawaiians face substantially higher rates of intimate partner violence, family violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking than any other racial or ethnic group in Hawaii. According to most available data from the Officer of Hawaiian Affairs, 67 to 77 percent of sex trafficking victims in Hawaii are Native Hawaiian women and girls, and 37 percent of reported child sex trafficking cases in Hawaii involve Native Hawaiians. They are also disproportionately represented across the many forms of sexual violence.

To address these issues within Native Hawaiian communities, we must develop and implement community-driven, culturally relevant and intergenerational approaches for supporting Native Hawaiian women. Unfortunately, because of a drafting error in the 2013 VAWA reauthorization bill, Native Hawaiian domestic violence victims have been excluded from VAWA STOP Grants, which deliver just such programs, and thus effectively deprived of vital services and support. While tribal coalitions and Native Hawaiian Organizations are eligible for STOP Grant funding, both tribal coalitions and Native Hawaiian Organizations are limited to only serving American Indians and Alaska Natives, not Native Hawaiians. This must be corrected.

The VAWA Technical Amendment Act simply adds Native Hawaiians as eligible for VAWA-related services from Native nonprofit grantees. Any Native Hawaiian Organization interested and eligible to provide critical domestic violence and sexual assault services to Native Hawaiian survivors must be given the opportunity to do so. This technical correction will allow this to happen, ensuring that Native Hawaiian Organizations can serve Native Hawaiians in need of these critical services.

More work lies ahead for our federal government to address and eliminate the ongoing violence against indigenous women in our country, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on these efforts to support all Native survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Mahalo.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 7., the ``VAWA Technical Amendment Act of 2022,'' that would ensure Native Hawaiian victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sex trafficking, and other such crimes have access to vital VAWA resources.

When the Violence Against Women Act first became law in 1994, it represented an historic shift in the federal government's role in combating violent crimes committed against women. Due to the importance of the legislation and its resulting success, VAWA was reauthorized on an overwhelming bipartisan basis in 2000, 2005, and 2013.

As we negotiated the most recent reauthorization, I was adamant that Congress acknowledge the cries of the multitude of voiceless native women. That we should do more to improve coordination and communication between law enforcement agencies, empower tribal governments with resources, and improve the way we collect data about missing and murdered native women.

And although each piece of VAWA is critical to support and protect victims of violence, I thought it necessary to pay special attention to the plight of tribal women, who suffer extraordinarily high rates of victimization.

That is why we must pass the ``VAWA Technical Amendment Act of 2022''--to make sure that Native Hawaiian victims and survivors are supported and protected.

The VAWA Reauthorization--which made its way to the President's desk this year--made several improvements to the Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors (STOP) grant program.

The STOP grant program was established to assist state, territorial, local, and Tribal governments in responding to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as the appropriate treatment of victims.

The grants have long been used to develop effective strategies to assist victims and survivors through nonprofit, community organizations.

Eligibility for the grants was expanded under the reauthorization for individuals and grantees, and the authorized uses of grants under the expansion now include supportive services for American Indian victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Unfortunately, due to a drafting error, Native Hawaiian organizations have been unable to access STOP grant funds for the benefit of Native Hawaiian women, thereby denying an entire community of victims and survivors restorative, stabilizing care. This is a serious problem with an uncomplicated solution.

S. 7 would amend relevant statutory provisions to make sure Native Hawaiian organizations can render aid to their communities using STOP grant funding.

As has always been true, the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization is comprehensive and inclusive legislation that responds to the many varied and changing needs of diverse victims and survivors across the country by making meaningful improvements. This bill exemplifies that sentiment.

I applaud Senator Mazie Hirono for spearheading this bill to ensure that no victim or survivor is denied access to VAWA's life-saving resources, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.

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