Before wrapping up their session on Tuesday night, Congress had a few
things on their to-do list: Vote on the fiscal cliff bill, figure out
what they were going to do about the farm bill, authorize relief for
Superstorm Sandy victims — and reauthorize the Violence Against Women
Act.
That last item may seem like a no-brainer, even taking into account recent partisan battles that have been paralyzing Congress.
But House leadership chose to let the bill expire, balking at new provisions that would extend protections to undocumented immigrants, Native Americans and LGBT individuals.
This is the first time since the act was introduced in 1994 that the bill hasn't been reauthorized. VAWA has "improved the criminal justice response to violence against women," the White House says, and provides financing for programs that work to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, as well as offer support to victims.
But House leadership chose to let the bill expire, balking at new provisions that would extend protections to undocumented immigrants, Native Americans and LGBT individuals.
This is the first time since the act was introduced in 1994 that the bill hasn't been reauthorized. VAWA has "improved the criminal justice response to violence against women," the White House says, and provides financing for programs that work to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, as well as offer support to victims.
No comments:
Post a Comment