Jon L. Christensen: “the women in my district and women all across this country need to have the Violence Against Women Act of 2000…”

“the women in my district and women all across this country need to have the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 reauthorized. The act was first passed in 1994 and has been a lifeline to women who are victims of violence. The current act would go even further by improving existing provisions and adding new ones, such as dating violence, the provision of transitional housing, the creation of supervised visitation and exchange programs for children, and expanding services to reach the elderly and previously underserved populations. The new reauthorization was passed by this body on September 26, but it remains a top priority, because the other body has yet to pass it. Mr. Speaker, the Women's Coalition of St. Croix, the Women's Resource Center in St. Thomas, and the Safety Zone in St. John are depending on us, the women and the families they care for, especially their children who also become victims and have a high risk of themselves becoming perpetrators, are depending on us. I join the other distinguished women of the House and all of my 415 colleagues who voted for its passage in calling on the Senate to do the same and give us a Violence Against Women Act before we adjourn.”