Jim Costa: “Later this week, the United States Senate will pick up where Congress left off by passing the Violence Against Women…”

“Later this week, the United States Senate will pick up where Congress left off by passing the Violence Against Women Act. As a cochair of the Victims' Rights Caucus, every day victims' advocates do the hard work of making sure their voices are heard for the assistance of the programs authorized under the Violence Against Women Act. Last year alone, the Marjaree Mason Center of Fresno, which I have worked with over the years, and the Valley Crisis Center in Merced provided emergency housing for over 1,100 women and children in their time of need. We have learned a lot from victims' rights advocates and law enforcement since the law was enacted in 1994. It's time we used those lessons to put the safety of all crime victims first and stop playing politics. Now the House must follow the Senate's lead by quickly adopting this measure to show that protecting victims is a top priority of this Congress. ____________________”