[Vision2020] A Shift on Violence Against Women

[Art Deco]

  [image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/>

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February 27, 2013
A Shift on Violence Against Women

By a 78-to-22 vote this month, the Senate approved a sound measure to
reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act — including important new
protections for lesbian, gay, immigrant and American Indian victims of
domestic violence and sexual assault. House Republicans blocked a similar
measure in the last Congress and insisted on a much weaker, deficient
version of the bill. Fortunately, it appears that they may be ready to
follow the Senate’s bipartisan
example<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/us/politics/clearing-a-path-for-renewal-of-violence-against-women-act.html>and
approve its bill on Thursday.

If that happens, it will be a remarkable turnaround. Just a few days ago,
Speaker John Boehner seemed determined to continue down a partisan path to
nowhere, unveiling a substitute Republican bill missing crucial provisions
that would protect abuse victims regardless of their sexual orientation or
immigration or tribal status, address sexual assaults on college campuses,
reduce the inexcusable backlog of untested rape kits and toughen penalties
for sex traffickers and impose stronger protections for trafficking
victims.

The Senate bill’s co-sponsors, Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, and
Michael Crapo, an Idaho Republican, helped to increase the pressure on
House Republicans by rallying support among Republican senators and
pressing for a vote soon after the new Congress convened. What turned the
tide in the end, though, was a serious need for political damage control.

House Republican leaders finally relented in letting the House vote on the
Senate bill — which they refused to allow last session — when they realized
their version of the bill lacked the sufficient votes to win on the floor
and that continuing to block the Senate measure would only perpetuate the
party’s sagging reputation with women. Of course, it would have been nice
had Mr. Boehner and his colleagues come to this recognition earlier. Under
the rule for considering the competing Violence Against Women Act bills the
House adopted on Wednesday, it will first consider the House Republican
bill as an amendment to the Senate measure, giving opponents of the Senate
approach a chance to go on record. If that vote falls short of a majority,
as expected, the House will then vote on the broadly supported Senate bill.

Here’s hoping that the House Republicans will finally end the
year-and-a-half impasse and approve a measure that will protect all victims
of domestic violence.


-- 
Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
art.deco.studios at gmail.com
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