Virginia Foxx: “I now would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of Washington, a member of our leadership…”

“I now would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the State of Washington, a member of our leadership, Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers. Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this important issue. I rise today on behalf of my mother, my daughter, and every woman in America in strong support of H.R. 4970, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization of 2012. Each year there are over 200,000 victims of sexual assaults; and while these numbers are devastating, since the enactment of the first Violence Against Women Act almost 20 years ago, the annual number of incidents has dramatically fallen, while the reporting rate has risen by 50 percent. The programs in the legislation are critical to continue the fight for equality and women's rights. The bill we will vote on today makes commonsense reforms to ensure that more money actually benefits victims and is dedicated to eliminating the astounding backlog in rape kit tests. Additionally, today we have the chance to support vital funding for rape prevention educational programs, youth victim services, and improvements to emergency and transitional housing services for victims. Since its enactment, the Violence Against Women Act has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. This is not a Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal issue.…”