This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a major step forward in the process towards renewing a piece of legislation which has transformed the work of victim advocates as well as the lives of sexual and domestic violence survivors. First passed in 1994 (and later reauthorized in 2006), this ground breaking piece of legislation,

“…recognizes the insidious and pervasive nature of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and supports comprehensive, effective and cost saving responses to these crimes. VAWA programs, administered by the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, give law enforcement, prosecutors and judges the tools they need to hold offenders accountable and keep communities safe while supporting victims.” (Quote from the National Alliance to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women website)

The next step for this bill will be to move forward into a full Senate vote and then on to the House of Representatives. CALCASA has been working closely with the National Alliance to advance this legislation and would like to thank Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) for her support of sexual and domestic violence survivors and for co-sponsoring the bill. We will continue to provide updates as this piece of legislation moves through the Senate.

To learn more, please visit the National Alliance website by clicking here.

If you are interested in working more closely with CALCASA on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, please contact Alexis Marbach, CALCASA’s Public Policy Advocate at alexis.marbach@calcasa.org

Tagged as: child sexual abuse, domestic violence, Feinstein, legislation, Legislature, National Alliance, sexual assault, VAWA, Violence Against Women

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