Mitch Landrieu: “I would like to speak on a pending piece of legislation that I believe requires our urgent attention. The fact that the…”

“I would like to speak on a pending piece of legislation that I believe requires our urgent attention. The fact that the leadership has not acted to bring this bill to the floor is of great concern to me. While I understand that our time is short and our list is long, the Re-authorization of the Violence Against Women's Act should be on the list of priorities for this Congress. I urge the leadership not to allow another day to pass and to bring this bill to the floor for our immediate consideration. In 1994, with the President's strong support, Congress passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act, which established new Federal criminal provisions and key grant programs to improve this nation's criminal justice system's response to domestic violence. Since that time, the number of crimes against women has decreased. A recent report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that the number of women experiencing violence at the hands of an intimate partner declined 21 percent from 1993 to 1998. Under this bill, the Federal Government has awarded $1.6 billion dollars, $24 million of which went to support programs in the State of Louisiana, to help support the efforts of prosecutors, law enforcement officials, the courts, victim advocates, health care and social service professionals, and intervention and prevention programs.”