Violence Against Women Act Update

The Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has become embroiled in a contentious partisan debate about a variety of issues, including immigration, native rights, and rights of LGBTQ individuals.  We are pleased that the Senate passed a new version of VAWA which includes increasing the number of visas available to victims of domestic violence who are undocumented immigrants, bans discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender victims of domestic violence, and gives Native American tribes more authority in prosecuting domestic violence offenses.  It also restructures some grants and creates new funding for programs on college campuses.  It has many positive changes, but it still excludes some individuals, including Alaskan Native tribes.

One of the issues that is left out of the House of Representatives’ version of the Violence Against Women Act is allowing Native American tribes more discretion in prosecuting domestic violence offenders.  The Senate version allowed Native American tribal courts to have jurisdiction over both Native American and non-Native American offenders.  Currently, if a domestic violence offender who is non-Native American commits a DV crime on Native Land against a Native American person, they can only be prosecuted federally.  This rarely happens because federal courts do not consider these crimes a priority. The Senate’s version allows tribal councils to have jurisdiction over this type of offender, and if the crimes are prosecuted federally, it also strengthens their ability to prosecute violent felonies.

We applaud the White House, who issued a statement saying that:  "The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 4970, a bill that would undermine the core principles of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  H.R. 4970 rolls back existing law and removes long-standing protections for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault -- crimes that predominately affect women. If the President is presented with H.R. 4970, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill."

Please take the time to contact your Representative, encouraging him/her to reject the House Bill 4970, but instead support a version of the Violence Against Women Act that includes all victims of violence. 

***UPDATE 5/16/2012***

The House of Representatives passed a version of the Violence Against Women Act that does not include safety provisions for victims who immigrated to the United States illegally, or LGBTQ individuals, or Native American individuals.  It does not allow for Native American victims to file for protection orders with their own tribal council, they must instead file with a U.S. District Court. Department of Justice recommended allowing Native American victims to file with their tribal council, and the Senate included this provision in their version.  This version no longer allows immigrant victims to keep their identities secret while applying for residency visas.  It also


Please encourage President Obama to veto this exclusionary version of the Violence Against Women Act.