On the recordFebruary 28, 2013
Thank you to my colleague, who has done such a wonderful job on this issue. I rise today in support of the House substitution to the Violence Against Women Act, and I urge my colleagues in the House to vote ``yes'' on it as well. Every now and then here in the House, rather than speaking about issues of cutting budgets and talking about issues that many people don't think affect them directly, we have the distinct opportunity to hold everyone up and to fight for a cause for women, for men, for families, for children. This is one of those times in which we are not necessarily talking about policy but we are talking about people. This is a very, very real issue, and it has strong bipartisan support so that we may move forward on these issues and take this off the table. However, when we're talking about the Senate version and when we're talking about the House version, in my opinion, the House version is superior to the Senate version because it holds up all people. It does not segment individuals into certain groups and subcategories. It is all-inclusive. Violence across this country is pervasive. Women across this country are in families that they are trying to protect, and they feel the necessity to reach out, and we must help them. I know there are many in this House who believe that there is not a Federal nexus on this issue. However, let's talk about the times that we might have Internet stalking across State lines. That becomes a Federal nexus.…
