Lautenberg Statement on House Passage of Landmark VAWA Reauthorization

Press Release

U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today applauded passage of the Senate's Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill in the House of Representatives. Lautenberg is a co-sponsor of the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2013, which will provide critical support and protections to all victims of domestic and sexual violence, including gay and lesbian victims, Native American women, and battered immigrant women. The bill was approved in the Senate earlier this month by 78-22, and now goes to the President to be signed into law.

"Today is an important day for victims of domestic and sexual violence, as Congress has finally come together to pass the Senate's Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill and voice our united support for victim protections," said Lautenberg. "House Republicans delayed this vote for far too long, but today the bill sailed through the chamber with bipartisan support. It's clear that this is not a Democratic or Republican issue--it is about protecting women, children, and all victims of abuse."

Senator Lautenberg has a long history of protecting victims of domestic violence. He is the author of the "Domestic Violence Gun Ban," which prohibits individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from buying or possessing firearms. Since it was enacted in 1996, the law has succeeded in keeping guns out of the hands of abusers on more than 200,000 occasions.

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