BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SJR 20|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SJR 20
Author: Evans (D), et al.
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SUBJECT : Violence Against Women Act
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution calls on the United States
Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization
Act of 2011, Senate Bill No. 1925, authored by Senators
Leahy and Crapo, and ensure the sustainability of vital
programs designed to keep women and families safe from
violence and abuse.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1. 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.
2. VAWA represents the voices of women and their
families, and the voices of victims, survivors, and
advocates.
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3. 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.
4. 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.
5. VAWA has been successful because it has had
consistently strong, bipartisan support for nearly two
decades.
6. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act will
provide a five-year authorization for VAWA programs,
and reduce authorized funding levels by more than $144
million, or 19 percent, from the law's 2005
authorization.
7. 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.
8. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act
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 25-percent set aside in the STOP (Services,
Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against
Women Formula Grant Program (STOP Program) and the
Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement
of Protection Orders Program.
B. Improvements in tools to prevent domestic
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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. Measures to strengthen housing protections for
victims by applying existing housing protections to
nine additional federal housing programs.
E. Measures to promote accountability to ensure that
federal funds are used for their intended purposes.
F. Consolidation of programs and reductions in
authorization levels to address fiscal concerns, and
renewed focus on programs that have been most
successful.
G. Technical corrections to update definitions
throughout the law to provide uniformity and
continuity.
1. 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, inclusive, of age 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.
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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.
This resolution calls on the United States Congress to pass
the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011,
Senate Bill No. 1925, authored by Senators Leahy and Crapo,
and ensure the sustainability of vital programs designed to
keep women and families safe from violence and abuse.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/26/12)
American Association of University Women - California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The California chapter of the
American Association of University Women states that:
Violence against women has devastating consequences
for the victims, their families, and society as a
whole. Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual
assault, and stalking are serious crimes and victims
deserve access to life-saving services. The Violence
Against Women Act, enacted in 1994, is at the core of
our nation's response to these insidious and pervasive
crimes and creates and supports comprehensive,
effective and cost saving responses. Programs funded
by this critical legislation equip law enforcement,
prosecutors and judges with the tools they need to
hold offenders accountable and keep communities safe
while supporting victims.
The reauthorization of VAWA gives Congress a unique
opportunity to continue and expand successful programs
that further the safety and stability of the lives of
survivors of domestic violence. VAWA programs such as
the National Domestic Violence Hotline contribute to
the decline in domestic violence. In recent years the
success of these programs has resulted in a growing
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demand for services, with more victims and their
families being referred to agencies every day. VAWA
must be swiftly reauthorized to ensure the
continuation of these vital, lifesaving programs and
laws.
If Congress does not reauthorize and strengthen VAWA,
thousands of local communities, law enforcement
agencies, prosecutors and victims assistance programs
will lose valuable Federal support.
Without VAWA programs, women and children in
California cannot access the services they need to
escape from violence. AAUW California remains
strongly committed to positively and effectively
advocating to end domestic violence in our communities
by funding Violence Against Women Act programs. AAUW
California supports efforts to create practical
solutions to enhance collaboration between victim
service organizations and civil legal assistance
providers, as well as to strengthen and improve the
response of the criminal justice and legal systems for
survivors of domestic violence, dating violence,
sexual assault and stalking.
RJG:nl 4/26/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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