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Action Alert

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

Take Action

[CLOSED] House Vote on VAWA is Taking Place Today

February 28, 2013 – Your calls are working.  Yesterday, your calls ensured that the House passed the rule to vote on VAWA by an overwhelming majority.  Though the House introduced a substitute VAWA bill last week, they may vote on the bipartisan Senate bill today.  If the House passes the Senate VAWA bill today, it will head to the President for his signature to become law.   The vote will be really close – your calls will make the difference in getting the right bill passed through the House!

Take Action

  • Call the Capitol switchboard at 888.269.5702 and ask the operator to connect you to your Representative. If you do not know who your Representative is, you can find out here.
  • When you’re connected to your Representative’s office, tell the person who answers the phone:

I am a constituent from (city and state) and my name is _________.

I am calling to ask Representative _________ to do two things:

  1. Vote NO on the House substitute amendment to VAWA
  2. Vote YES on the Senate-passed version of VAWA

Follow NNEDV on Twitter for live updates on these votes.

Background

The U.S. Senate passed a strong, bipartisan bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) on February 12, 2013. Unfortunately, the substitute bill introduced by House leadership on Friday, February 22, 2013 fails to adequately support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and it leaves out a number of critical provisions that are needed to ensure that victims have access to much-needed services and support. Now, however, the House may take up the Senate bill. If the House substitute bill fails tomorrow (with the help of your calls to Representatives), the House will vote on the bipartisan Senate bill that reaches more victims of violence.

About VAWA

VAWA is the cornerstone of our nation’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, and because of VAWA, millions of victims have received lifesaving services and support. Despite VAWA’s proven ability to substantially improve lives, it has not reached all victims. VAWA’s reauthorization provides an opportunity to build upon the successes of the current law by including key improvements to protect and provide safety and access to justice for Native American, immigrant, and LGBT victims, as well as victims on college campuses and in communities of color. Additionally, a renewed VAWA must include strengthened housing protections that provide emergency housing transfer options for survivors, as well as implementation of transparent and effective accountability measures that support and strengthen, rather than endanger, the programs that assist victims.