close Exit Site If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, or call a local hotline, or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224, or 911 if it is safe to do so. Learn more technology safety tips. There is always a computer trail, but you can leave this site quickly.
Donate Now Exit Site Add
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Act Now Protect the Violence Against Women Act VAWA
Action Alert

Join us in urging your Members of Congress to act now and prevent catastrophic cuts to th [Read More]

Take Action

[CLOSED] VAWA is Being Considered in the House this Week!

May 7, 2012 – Please call your U.S. Representative TODAY to express strong opposition to the Cantor-Adams version of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization (H.R. 4970) that was introduced April 27, 2012.  It weakens or deletes entirely some of the vital improvements in the Senate bill, including the strong provisions that are designed to increase the safety of Native women and the needs of the LGBT community.  The bill also contains extremely dangerous provisions that would jeopardize the safety and often the lives of immigrant victims seeking to report crimes by eliminating important confidentiality protections, undermining effective anti-fraud protections, and rolling back years of progress to protect the safety of immigrant victims.  Finally, it grows excessive and costly bureaucracy that will divert resources which could be used for victim services.

The Senate bill that was passed on April 26, 2012 was the product of significant input from experts in the law enforcement and advocacy fields, and was only introduced after the many interested communities had had a chance to review it, and offer suggestions, and improvements, and raise concerns.  The House has the opportunity to conduct a similarly deliberative process, and we hope that like the Senate, the result will be a strong bipartisan bill that strengthens protections for all survivors of violence.

We must tell our legislators, especially those on the House Judiciary Committee, that we oppose the Cantor-Adams bill and that victims need a bipartisan bill that includes ALL victims.

Action:

  • Call or email your Representative (especially members of the House Judiciary Committee) and tell them: “We oppose the Cantor/Adams proposal (HR 4970) because it includes provisions that are dangerous to immigrant victims, fails to address epidemic levels of violence on tribal lands and does not include protections for all victims.  We support a bill that is closer to HR 4271, with improvements, including those provisions in the bipartisan Senate bill that protects Tribal victims, immigrant victims, LGBT victims and other marginalized communities.”