Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) voted to pass the bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 2021 (VAWA), which he co-sponsored.
VAWA addresses gaps in existing laws and provides law enforcement officials and organizations the resources they need to help prevent domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and to seek justice for survivors. Since VAWA was first passed in 1994, the rate of domestic violence has declined by over 50 percent.
"It is essential that we come together to pass a long-term, bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to expand protections, modernize lifesaving programs, and respond to the needs of survivors," said Congressman Pappas. "This legislation will help countless survivors across New Hampshire and ensure fewer women have to endure the trauma of domestic abuse and sexual violence, and I hope the Senate will soon send the bill to President Biden's desk."
Specifically, this legislation:
- Improves services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through increased funding for key grant programs to clear waitlists and increased access to legal assistance.
- Makes new investments in prevention efforts by increasing the authorization for the Rape Prevention & Education Program (RPE) to $110 million and increasing VAWA youth grants to support education programs that engage men and boys as allies.
- Improves the criminal justice response to gender-based violence in order to make our communities safer by reauthorizing STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) grants and allow the grants to be used to develop law enforcement tools and protocols for preventing domestic violence homicides.
- Improves access to housing for survivors and victims by strengthening survivors' rights and creating a Violence Against Women Director at HUD who is tasked with the work of enforcing housing rights for survivors and victims.
- Protects victims of dating violence from firearm homicide by closing some loopholes in current firearms laws in order to help prevent intimate partner and stalking homicides.
Original source can be found here.
