Senate Passes Hatch Bill to Protect Women

SENATE PASSES HATCH BILL TO PROTECT WOMEN

Last night, the United States Senate unanimously passed legislation that reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a 1994 law sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) that has played a vital role in protecting women from the tragedy of violence and abuse.

"I consider passing VAWA to be one of my greatest achievements as a Utah Senator," Hatch said. "This law directly addresses violence against women and is strengthening our families, our communities, and our nation."

The original Act and subsequent legislation created new criminal penalties for federal interstate domestic violence, stalking and firearms crimes. It strengthened federal penalties for repeat sex offenders and required states and territories to enforce protection orders issued by other states. The Act is scheduled to expire this year, and the legislation passed by the Senate, S. 1197, would reauthorize and expand these targeted programs for five additional years.

"The problem of violence against women does not always get the attention it deserves," Hatch said. "But VAWA has contributed to decreasing violent crimes against women by 49 percent since 1992. Incidents of rape are down 60 percent, and attempted rape is down by 57 percent over the same period. And, importantly, more women are reporting domestic violence and receiving the necessary legal, financial, and social support they need for protection."

The 1994 law also created the Office on Violence Against Women, currently directed by Diane Stuart of Utah, which coordinates the federal funds that support rape prevention education, domestic violence intervention programs, battered women's shelters and law enforcement and prosecution services. Since its enactment, VAWA has provided more than $1.6 billion in grants to help states and local governments train personnel and establish domestic violence and sexual assault units that assist victims of violence. VAWA also authorized the Legal Assistance for Victims Program (LAV), which has helped Utah Legal Services to provide counsel and advice to 1,226 victims and represent 410 victims in court actions since 2003.

The House of Representatives passed similar legislation, H.R. 3402, on September 28. A conference committee will now meet to negotiate a compromise bill that will be considered by Congress.

http://hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1453&Month=10&Year=2005