Washington – The House voted on Wednesday to re-enact the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the important law of 1994, which strengthened the protection of domestic violence against women.
The House approved the re-authorization by a vote of 244 to 172, with 29 Republicans joining all Democrats to vote for it. But the measure, which expired two years ago, could hit a roadblock in the proportionate Senate.
VAWA establishes legal protection for women who have experienced domestic and sexual violence. It was initially passed in 1994, put forward by then-Senator Joe Biden, and was updated and re-approved in 2000, 2005 and 2013. The bill expired at the end of 2018 due to a strike by the government and was briefly renewed by a resolution reopening the government, but expired again in February 2019. Mr. Biden made the empowerment of VAWA an important campaign promise before he was elected.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a statement on Wednesday stating that the government strongly supports the empowerment of VAWA.
“VAWA re-empowerment is now more urgent than ever, especially when the pandemic and economic crisis have only further increased the risks of abuse and barriers to women’s safety in the United States,” the statement said. “The administration is pleased that HR 1620 recognizes the need to provide protection and services to all victims of abuse, and contains proposals to strengthen the existing policies supported by both Democrats and Republicans last year. The Administration insists that these legislation must be passed quickly. “
The current bill will expand the services of victims and authorize consent programs for the criminal response to domestic and sexual violence. It also contains provisions that will expand the housing options for survivors, and end the immunity for perpetrators of non-native sexual violence on tribal lands.
It would also close the so-called ‘boyfriend loophole’ to prevent partners and stalkers convicted of domestic violence or abuse from buying and possessing firearms. Previous versions of the bill have already prevented spouses guilty of domestic violence or abuse from acquiring firearms.
The House passed a version of VAWA in 2019, which includes this amendment, but it died in the Senate, which was then controlled by Republicans. Some IDP legislators have objected to this part of the bill, arguing that it is too broad. Republicans also objected to provisions that would increase protection for LGBTQ and undocumented immigrant victims.
In 2019, the bill received support from 33 Republicans from the House, and the current version is being consolidated by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.
“Congress has historically re-approved VAWA with a broad, two-pronged agreement, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that VAWA continues to protect victims and survivors across the country,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. when the bill was introduced earlier this month.
However, it is unclear whether VAWA will be able to obtain sufficient support in the Senate. Democrats have a slim majority of 50 seats, and most legislation requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate. Democrats will need support from at least ten Republicans to get the bill moved.
IDP Senator Joni Ernst, who introduced another VAWA legislative bill in 2019 that did not have the support to be approved in the Senate, told reporters on Tuesday that she would re-introduce her own version of VAWA. She added that fellow Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has worked with her on issues related to the protection of women in tribal lands.
“What we hope to show is that we have enough Republican support for our bill, and that we are willing to work with the Democrats on this, and hopefully by combining the forces, we may need the 60 votes and ‘ ‘a good modernized bill that will work for the Senate, hopefully then the House,’ Ernst said.
Murkowski told reporters on Tuesday that VAWA had previously been “derailed” because of the provision that closed the “boyfriend loophole”.
“I think it’s critical that we promote VAWA,” she said.
The House also approved a resolution on Wednesday eliminating the deadline for ratifying the Amendment of Equal Rights. The resolution passed largely along party lines with a vote of 222 to 204, and four Republicans joined the Democrats in support of the measure.
During the debate before the vote, Democratic Congressman Jackie Speier, the sponsor of the bill, quoted the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
“Antonin Scalia, the great jurist, once said: does the Constitution require discrimination on the grounds of sex? The answer is no. But if the question is, does the Constitution prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sex? The answer is also no. It must “There’s a cool feeling in each of us that women are not protected in the United States Constitution,” Speier said. “There can be no expiration date on equality.”
A similar resolution was introduced in the Senate by Democratic Senators Ben Cardin and Murkowski. The initial deadline was 1979 and was extended until 1982. No new states voted until 2017, when it was approved by Nevada, to ratify the amendment. The amendment was ratified by Illinois in 2018 and Virginia in 2020.
Although the ERA reached the threshold of 38 states that had to be accepted with Virginia’s ratification, the Department of Justice under the leadership of former Attorney General William Barr issued an opinion in early 2020, saying that the ratification by the three states does not count as it took place after the deadline.
The House passed a bill in 2020 that eliminated the deadline, but it quickly got stuck in the Senate as then-Senate leader Mitch McConnell refused to bring it to the floor for a vote.
Murkowski told reporters Tuesday that she does not believe the resolution currently has enough Republican votes to pass.
“As far as the amendment of equal rights is concerned, I wish I could tell you that at this stage we have had more Republican support for it. We continue to work on it,” Murkowski said.