Rep. Cohen Commemorates 20th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today commemorated the 20th anniversary of President Bill Clinton signing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law on September 13th, 1994. The landmark legislation created critical protections for victims of domestic violence and dramatically strengthened our nation’s criminal justice response to violence against women. Congressman Cohen also announced $900,000 in VAWA funding for the City of Memphis to improve victim services, investigations and prosecutions resulting from the processing of backlogged rape kits.
“The Violence Against Women Act represents a firm promise: no woman should ever feel unsafe or insecure in her own home and no woman should ever suffer in silence in the face of domestic violence,” said Congressman Cohen, a cosponsor of last year’s VAWA reauthorization legislation. “The law has improved countless lives by helping take domestic abuse out of the shadows and it has protected millions of women and saved lives. I was happy to cosponsor and support legislation to reauthorize VAWA last year, and will continue to fight violence against women in all of its forms and work to support survivors of abuse.”
The federal VAWA funding announced by Congressman Cohen today comes through the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program, which encourages jurisdictions to implement effective intervention policies as part of a coordinated community response to domestic violence. In collaboration with the Shelby County Rape Crisis Center, the City of Memphis will use this funding to enhance requirements for victim notifications, investigations, and prosecution of increased sexual assault cases resulting from the processing of the backlog of rape kits in Memphis.
“Absolutely no one should be a victim of sexual assault, and it is a travesty when communities are terrorized simply because evidence that could be used to prevent these crimes sits untested on a shelf somewhere,” said Congressman Cohen. “While there is much work still to be done, this funding will help victims in Memphis achieve the justice they deserve.”
In May, the U.S. House of Representatives this afternoon passed on a voice vote Congressman Cohen’s amendment to the Fiscal Year 2015 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that would provide more federal resources to local law enforcement agencies working to reduce their backlogs of untested rape kits. The Congressman’s deficit-neutral amendment transfers $5 million in federal funds to a new grant program focused specifically on helping law enforcement agencies and cut through their sexual assault kit backlogs. The additional funding would increase the grant program’s budget by nearly 15%, from $36 million to $41 million, and increase Memphis’ chances of receiving the funding necessary to significantly reduce its current backlog. The Senate Appropriations Committee included the additional $5 million in their version of the bill, which is awaiting consideration in the full Senate.
The landmark Violence Against Women Act has instituted stricter sentencing guidelines for repeat federal sex crime offenders and provides resources to tribal, local, and state law enforcement communities to address violent crimes against women. VAWA funds training for over 500,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges and other personnel every year. In addition, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which responds to more than 22,000 urgent calls for help every month, was also created under this legislation. Congressional Cohen and Democrats will continue to work to champion and strengthen this vital, life-saving law.
Shamefully, House Republican opposition to a strong Violence Against Women Reauthorization bill led to VAWA being expired for one and a half years. In the 112th Congress, the Senate passed a strong VAWA Reauthorization bill by a bipartisan vote of 68 to 31 – and yet it was blocked by House Republicans throughout that Congress by their insisting on excluding legal immigrants, LGBT Americans and Native Americans from VAWA protections.
The Senate passed their strong bipartisan bill again in February 2013 and yet House Republicans still put forward their weakened version When the Republican Leadership finally yielded to the outrage of the American people and allowed the Senate-passed bill to pass and be signed by the President, more than 60 percent of House Republicans still voted against the strengthened legislation.