Orrin Hatch: “this body has a long tradition of bipartisan support for the Violence Against Women Act. One of the bills before us will…”

“this body has a long tradition of bipartisan support for the Violence Against Women Act. One of the bills before us will continue that tradition. The other will destroy it. The bill introduced by the Senator from Texas, Mrs. Hutchison, stays true to the purpose and scope of the legislation that in the past received wide bipartisan support. The other bill introduced by the Senator from Vermont, Mr. Leahy, deliberately departs from that purpose and scope and introduces divisive and controversial new provisions that, I believe, are designed to shatter that bipartisan support. The purpose of the Violence Against Women Act is to combat violence against women. The description of the Office on Violence Against Women, currently on the Department of Justice Web site, states the same thing a half dozen times: that this legislation is designed to end violence against women. The steadily growing bipartisan consensus behind this legislation has made it more important and more effective. Senator Leahy's bill, S. 1925, undermines the consensus that has been growing for two decades by introducing controversial and divisive proposals that fundamentally change the focus and scope of this legislation. If those proposals have merit, they should receive their own separate consideration with appropriate legislation introduced and hearings held.…”