On the recordMay 16, 2012
I rise also to support the rule and to support the Violence Against Women Act. This bill will support programs and organizations that help assist the victims of domestic abuse, stalking, and sexual assault. And it does so in a way that includes much-needed accountability measures so we can be sure that more of the funds go to the victims who need it rather than to Washington bureaucrats. When I was practicing law, I represented some victims of domestic violence, including men, women, and children, when I was doing guardian ad litem work. And I, further, had a law office bookkeeper who was murdered by her husband while she was working for us. It was traumatic for the entire office. On Indian reservations in my State and in communities where there is a hidden element of domestic abuse that you see every Friday morning in the courtroom when they have stacked settings for these types of cases, you see things you wouldn't even believe are going on in your own communities. That's why it's so important we have a bill that is efficient and gets the money to those victims, not to bureaucrats in Washington. That's why I support this rule. That's why I support the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
