WASHINGTON _ The Violence Against Women Act will expire at the end of September if lawmakers don't act on a bill to extend the protections introduced by Democrats just before the House leaves town for August recess.
Congress first passed the landmark domestic violence law in 1993 and most recently reauthorized it in 2013. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., urged House Republicans not to hold up the new proposal by "playing politics."
When House lawmakers return in September, they'll have just 11 legislative days before the law lapses. In 2013, conservatives in the House GOP caucus opposed the bill after leadership brought the Senate version to the floor without committee consideration in the House. Hoyer, a co-sponsor of the original 1993 bill, invited Republicans to join Democrats in backing this iteration.
"Some wanted an extension, but we knew we had to answer the pain of many women," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, sponsor of the reauthorization measure.
The new proposal would make changes to the existing law, not just extend the same protections. The bill includes provisions to help victims of domestic violence and stalking stay in stable housing situations, barring evictions based on the actions of an abuser.
The bill is not a simple extension of existing protections and was not proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, two factors that could slow down consideration.
The bill includes an expansion of gun laws aimed at prohibiting persons convicted of dating violence, stalking and those under protective orders from possessing firearms. Some states already have so-called "red flag" laws in place, with the aim of preventing escalation of violence.
"We will not stop fighting until this plague has been banished from our homes and communities," Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
Jackson Lee lauded expanded protections for Native American women, improved tribal access to federal crime databases, and affirmation of tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators. Native populations are especially vulnerable with 84 percent of women living on reservations experiencing some type of sexual violence in their lifetimes.
Pelosi pointed to the rise of the #MeToo movement and said increased focus on prevention and educating men and boys is an important part of the proposal.
