On the recordApril 3, 2019
I thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. This is a persistent crisis in our country that requires Congress to act. While a lot of progress has been made since VAWA was first passed in 1994, too many women still face violence. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women will experience some form of physical violence in their lifetime. Protecting women from violence has been, and should always be, a bipartisan issue. In 1994, Republicans and Democrats came together to pass VAWA. Since then, this act has been reauthorized three times, including in 2013, just after I became a Member of this body. Because of this law, victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking have been able to access support, as well, while offenders have been held more accountable by our criminal justice system. Since VAWA first passed, the rate of intimate partner violence declined by 67 percent. This law works, and we can strengthen it with this action. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Grijalva amendment No. 13, which deals with some of the issues we see in Tribal communities. This is an important bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.
