Senate Joint Resolution No. 2

Introduced by Senators Jackson, Beall, Block, Corbett, De León, DeSaulnier, Evans, Galgiani, Hancock, Hill, Lara, Leno, Liu, Pavley, Roth, Rubio, Steinberg, Wolk, and Yee

January 31, 2013

Senate Joint Resolution No. 2—Relative to violence against women.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SJR 2, as introduced, Jackson. Violence Against Women Act.

This measure would call on the United States Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, Senate Bill No. 47, authored by Senator Leahy, and ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to keep women and families safe from violence and abuse.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was
developed with the input of advocates from around the country
and from all walks of life, and addresses the real and most
important needs of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault,
dating violence, and stalking. VAWA is responsive, streamlined,
and constitutionally and fiscally sound, while providing strong
accountability measures and appropriate federal government
oversight; and

WHEREAS, VAWA represents the voices of women and their
families, and the voices of victims, survivors, and advocates; and

WHEREAS, VAWA was first enacted in 1994, and has been
the centerpiece of the federal government’s efforts to stamp out
domestic and sexual violence. Critical programs authorized under
VAWA include support for victim services, transitional housing,
and legal assistance; and

WHEREAS, Domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence,
and stalking, once considered private matters to be dealt with
behind closed doors, have been brought out of the darkness; and

WHEREAS, VAWA has been successful because it has had
consistently strong, bipartisan support for nearly two decades; and

WHEREAS, The Violence Against Women Reauthorization
Act of 2013 will provide a five-year reauthorization for VAWA
programs, and reduce authorized funding levels by more than $135
million, or 17 percent, from the law’s 2005 authorization; and

WHEREAS, While annual rates of domestic violence have
dropped more than 50 percent, domestic violence remains a serious
issue. Every day in the United States, three women are killed by
abusive husbands and partners. In California in 2010, there were
166,361 domestic violence calls, including more than 65,000 that
involved a weapon; and

WHEREAS, The Violence Against Women Reauthorization
Act of 2013 includes several updates and improvements to the
law, including the following:

(a) An emphasis on the need to effectively respond to sexual
assault crime by adding new purpose areas and a 20-percent
set-aside in the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and
Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program
(STOP Program) and a 25-percent set-aside in the Grants to
Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders
Program.

(b) Improvements in tools to prevent domestic violence
homicides by training law enforcement, victim service providers,
and court personnel to identify and manage high-risk offenders
and connecting high-risk victims to crisis intervention services.

(c) Improvements in responses to the high rate of violence
against women in tribal communities by strengthening concurrent
tribal criminal jurisdiction over perpetrators who assault Indian
spouses and dating partners in Indian countries.

(d) Increased protections for vulnerable immigrant victims of
domestic and sexual violence, ensuring protection for the children
of victims and strengthening protections for women brought into
the country by marriage brokers.

(e) Measures to strengthen housing protections for victims by
applying existing housing protections to nine additional federal
housing programs.

(f) Measures to promote accountability to ensure that federal
funds are used for their intended purposes.

(g) Consolidation of programs and reductions in authorization
levels to address fiscal concerns, and renewed focus on programs
that have been most successful.

WHEREAS, There is a need to maintain services for victims
and families at the local, state, and federal levels. Reauthorization
would allow existing programs to continue uninterrupted, and
would provide for the development of new initiatives to address
key areas of concern. These initiatives include the following:

(a) Addressing the high rates of domestic violence, dating
violence, and sexual assault among women 16 to 24 years of age,
inclusive, by combating tolerant youth attitudes toward violence.

(b) Improving the response to sexual assault with best practices,
training, and communication tools for law enforcement, as well
as health care and legal professionals.

(c) Preventing domestic violence homicides through enhanced
training for law enforcement, advocates, and others who interact
with those at risk. A growing number of experts agree that these
homicides are predictable, and therefore preventable, if we know
the warning signs.

(d) Expanding the definition of “underserved” to encourage
development of services for people who have had trouble getting
help in the past; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature calls on the United States
Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization
Act of 2013, Senate Bill No. 47, authored by Senator Leahy, and
ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to keep women
and families safe from violence and abuse; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority
Leader of the Senate, each Senator and Representative from
California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author
for appropriate distribution.