Senators Mikulski and Cardin Announce over $5 million in Grants to Fight Violence Against Women in Maryland

Adapted from Mikulski.senate.gov U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced on Wednesday, October 17, that eight organizations in Maryland will receive a total of $5,049,214 in grants from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for efforts around the state that will help protect women and families from domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and other dating violence. These funds are authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), originally established in 1994 and reauthorized most recently in 2006.  Senator Mikulski is Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds VAWA programs administered DOJ and OVW. Senator Mikulski said that "these funds in the federal checkbook meet a compelling human need, protecting victims, helping families heal and rebuild their lives. I will continue to fight for the Violence Against Women Act and grant programs that help protect women and their families from continued abuse." Senator Cardin added, "On the federal level, I urge my colleagues in the House to act as soon as possible to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act." "The Violence Against Women Act has allowed us to achieve significant progress in our efforts to protect women and children from abuse in Maryland," said Lt. Governor Brown. "These new funds will allow our partners throughout the state to continue the life-saving efforts that every day bring us one step closer to eliminating this senseless crime. We are fortunate to have leaders like Senator Mikulski and Senator Cardin fighting to make sure victims in Maryland have the resources they need. We must urge Congress to reauthorize VAWA now in order to avoid losing progress on this important issue." The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault received grants to help support its Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) and its work on behalf of Maryland's 17 rape crisis and recovery centers.  MCASA General Counsel Lisae C. Jordan noted, "These VAWA grant awards will help continue efforts to end sexual violence in Maryland and provide comprehensive care for survivors.  These grants illustrate the importance of VAWA: without VAWA, sexual assault survivors in Maryland would have very few services."  MCASA urges Congress to pass VAWA now.  Click here to learn how to help.