New Violence Against Women Act Introduced

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) last night with additional bipartisan co-sponsors including Maryland's Senator Barbara Mikulski. The legislation, Senate Bill 47, is almost identical to the bill that passed the Senate last year, including the same strong provisions to address sexual assault.  A number of minor changes were included in the bill:

• The bill does not include the U-Visa increase that created procedural difficulties last year. It is hoped that this issue will be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation later this year.
• The bill also includes the bipartisan version of the SAFER Act that passed the Senate last year and addresses the backlog of sexual assault evidence.
• The bill excludes some amendments added by the Judiciary committee after introduction last year that did not relate directly to VAWA.

Senators Leahy and Crapo will hold a press conference at 2:00 today to discuss the legislation. The House Democrats will also introduce the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act in the next day or two. MCASA appreciates this important progress on the first day of the 113th Congress and will continue to update members and ask for your support of VAWA.