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 v...