Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong and unyielding opposition to H.R. 4970, ``Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012.'' I urge my colleagues to reject this legislation and appeal to the Republican leadership to bring to the floor the Senate version of this bill which passed with a substantial bipartisan majority. Every Democratic Senator and 15 Senate Republicans, including all of the Senate GOP women, voted for the bill.

H.R. 4970 reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for five years. It provides federal resources authorized by VAWA directly to organizations and programs that help prevent violent crime and protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It consolidates grant programs and requires more audits and direct grant applicants to disclose their sources of federal funding. It also includes new benchmarks for visa applicants who are the victims of violent crime.

Madam Speaker, VAWA has never been a partisan issue until this Congress. Twice over the last 20 years, Democrats and Republicans have worked together to reauthorize VAWA and make necessary improvements. But just like on the Highway Bill, House Republicans are abandoning the bipartisan consensus that has always existed on VAWA reauthorizations. The bill rolls back important protections for immigrant victims that put them in a more vulnerable position than under current law by eliminating longstanding confidentiality of VAWA petitions for protection by allowing immigration officials to contact a battered woman's abusive spouse, tipping off the abuser to the victim's efforts to leave.
H.R. 4970 also makes it more difficult for undocumented witnesses to work with law enforcement officials, and eliminates a pathway

to permanent residency for victims of major crimes who cooperate with police on serious criminal cases. The bill also completely excludes vulnerable populations such as tribal women, and LGBT individuals.

The House Republican bill removes the key provisions from the bipartisan passed Senate bill improving protections for Native American women and ensuring all victims are assisted regardless of religion or sexual orientation.

The House Republican bill is opposed by hundreds of groups within the domestic violence community, as well as law enforcement, civil rights and faith-based groups.

Drafting a VAWA bill without any input from Democrats and without any Democratic support in the Judiciary Committee goes against how these reauthorizations have been crafted for over two decades. And it has produced a bill that weakens, rather than strengthens, protections for women against domestic abuse.

I oppose H.R. 4970 and urge my colleagues to do likewise.

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