AJR 8, as introduced, John A. Pérez. Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
This measure would urge the President to sign and Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, The federal Violence Against Women Act
2(VAWA) was developed with the input of advocates from around
3the country with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and
4addresses the real and most important needs of victims of domestic
5violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and
6WHEREAS, VAWA represents the voices of women and their
7families, and the voices of victims, survivors, and advocates; and
8WHEREAS, VAWA was first enacted in 1994, and has been
9the centerpiece of the federal government’s efforts to stamp out
10domestic and sexual violence. VAWA provides millions of dollars
11to support programs for victim services, transitional housing, and
12legal assistance, as well as tools that law enforcement, prosecutors,
P2 1and judges need to hold offenders accountable and keep
2communities safe while supporting victims; and
3WHEREAS, Domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence,
4and stalking, once considered private matters to be dealt with
5behind closed doors, have been brought out of the darkness; and
6WHEREAS, VAWA has been successful because it has had
7consistently strong, bipartisan support for nearly two decades; and
8WHEREAS, Senators Patrick Leahy and Mike Crapo and
9Representative Gwen Moore have introduced identical legislation,
10the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, in their
11respective houses with language that includes several updates and
12improvements to the law, including the following:
13(a) An emphasis on the need to effectively respond to sexual
14assault crime by adding new purpose areas and a 25-percent
15set-aside in the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and
16Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program
17(STOP Program) and the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and
18Enforcement of Protection Orders Program.
19(b) Improvements in tools to prevent domestic violence
20homicides by training law enforcement, victim service providers,
21and court personnel to
identify and manage high-risk offenders
22and connecting high-risk victims to crisis intervention services.
23(c) Critical improvements that provide important protections
24for students, immigrant women, as well as the lesbian, gay,
25bisexual, and transgender and Native American communities.
26(d) Improvements in responses to the high rate of violence
27against women in tribal communities by strengthening concurrent
28tribal criminal jurisdiction over perpetrators who assault Indian
29spouses and dating partners in Indian countries.
30(e) Measures to strengthen housing protections for victims by
31applying existing housing protections to nine additional federal
32housing programs.
33(f) Measures to promote accountability to ensure that federal
34funds are used for their
intended purposes.
35(g) Consolidation of programs and reductions in authorization
36levels to address fiscal concerns, and renewed focus on programs
37that have been most successful.
38(h) Technical corrections to update definitions throughout the
39law to provide uniformity and continuity; and
P3 1WHEREAS, There is a need to maintain services for victims
2and families at the local, state, and federal levels. VAWA
3reauthorization would allow existing programs to continue
4uninterrupted, and would provide for the development of new
5initiatives to address key areas of concern. These initiatives include
6the following:
7(a) Addressing the high rates of domestic violence, dating
8violence, and sexual assault among women 16 to 24 years of age,
9inclusive.
10(b) Improving the response to sexual assault with best practices,
11training, and communication tools for law enforcement, as well
12as for health care and legal professionals.
13(c) Preventing domestic violence homicides through enhanced
14training for law
enforcement, advocates, and others who interact
15with those at risk; now, therefore, be it
16Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
17California, jointly, That the Legislature requests the President to
18sign and Congress to pass the Violence Against Women
19Reauthorization Act and ensure the sustainability of vital programs
20designed to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse;
21and be it further
22Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
23of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
24States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
25Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
26from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
27author for appropriate distribution.
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