Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and, again, for his extraordinary leadership.

Madam Speaker, this is quite a day for the chairman, with the Violence Against Women Act and the ERA, among other pieces of legislation that he is bringing to the floor. I thank him for the very prolific and excellent work of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Madam Speaker, here we are dressed in white because it is Women's History Month, and we are wearing the color of suffragists as we come to the floor on these two important pieces of legislation--earlier today, the equal rights amendment, and now the Violence Against Women Act.

It is a historic day as the House passes two landmark, potentially lifesaving pieces of legislation on behalf of America's women. We do so, again, during Women's History Month. I sing the praises of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has been a relentless, persistent advocate for this legislation over time; Karen Bass, one more, and our distinguished chair of the committee.

Madam Speaker, we are particularly proud to be passing this legislation under the leadership of one of its strongest champions, President Joe Biden. In the Senate, he was the guardian of this law, as he was the author of it. As a new-ish Member of Congress at the time, I was proud to follow his lead and the lead in the House, then, of Leader Schumer, now the distinguished majority leader in the Senate. So this is an opportunity that we have for legislation, whose provenance goes way back into the 1990s.

At that time, I was an appropriator. And after we passed the bill that had the Violence Against Women Act, it was our responsibility to make sure that it was funded properly, and that has been part of the continuing advocacy.

Madam Speaker, in 2013, the legislation was last reauthorized under the Presidency of Barack Obama and the Vice Presidency of Joe Biden, who, again, was taking the lead for the reauthorization of the legislation. It was a tough time. The bill passed first in the United States Senate. Bipartisan in the United States Senate, the bill was passed. They sent it to the House. The House refused to take it up-- Republican-controlled House refused to take it up.

And then they had their own bill, which said: We are against violence against women, unless you happen to be a Native American or an LGBTQ woman or an immigrant woman.

Well, these are the most vulnerable in terms of using violence against women. So what happened was we persuaded the then-Speaker, Mr. Boehner, to bring both bills to the floor. Of course, the Senate-passed bipartisan bill prevailed. We had a big ceremony, participated in by the Native American community, our law enforcement community, Vice President Joe Biden, and signed by the President.

So here we are, unable to get it reauthorized 5 years later, in 2018 under the then-majority and President, and here we are today, finally able to bring bipartisan legislation to the floor.

And as I mentioned, for nearly three decades, the Violence Against Women Act has been a transformative force for safety and security of American women. Since its passage, domestic violence rates have declined by nearly two-thirds in America. Millions of women have gained access to protections from violence and abuse, and millions of survivors, to essential services and justice.

But we cannot be complacent: One in three women today face domestic abuse. Isn't that a stunning figure? You wonder, how could it be? And partner violence is on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic, as many women are forced to quarantine in homes that are not safe.

Every time the Congress has reauthorized VAWA, we have strengthened its protections for women, based on extensive consultation with survivors, victim service providers, Indian country, law enforcement, and other experts. The authorization on the floor today continues that progress.

And as has been said by Mr. Doggett, we have to recognize the danger of the, shall we say, provisions in the bill that protect women from gun violence specifically.

Among its many life-saving provisions, this reauthorization makes vital new investments in prevention, improves services for victims of domestic violence, makes improvements in the criminal justice system's response to gender-based violence and to the healthcare system's response, prevents intimate partner homicide, and expands protections for victims and survivors, whether they are men or women. This is not just about women, it is the Violence Against Women Act, but it does protect anyone.

Democrats are particularly proud that this reauthorization improves the essential protections that I referenced that were objected to on the Republican bill in 2013, including women immigrants, LGBTQ, and Native American women, and it specifically supports communities of color in a culturally sensitive way.

This reauthorization is bipartisan, happily, and it is supported by more than 200 organizations representing women, women's groups, faith- based organizations, law enforcement, the public health and medical communities, civil rights groups; the list goes on.

While it is unfortunate that we don't know what will happen in the Senate, we are optimistic that the reauthorization can be successful on the other side of the Capitol, and on the other side of the aisle.

Madam Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan vote for this reauthorization, so that we can advance justice, safety, and dignity in America.

Madam Speaker, the term VAWA has become synonymous with justice, Violence Against Women Act. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

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