Possible agreement on
VAWA just hours away
Urgent that all VAWA
advocates make one more phone call!
Call
immediately and talk to Speaker Boehner’s 202-225-0600 or 202.225.6205 and House Majority
Leader Cantor’s office 202-225-2815 or 202. 225.4000 and emphatically urge
them to “Be a hero and help pass a VAWA that includes ALL victims and
survivors. Your leadership can make this happen.” Then let them know that a
final VAWA must protect Native women and hold perpetrators accountable.
The
reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a legislative
priority of the PC(USA), has been held up in Congress over technicalities. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a VAWA
reauthorization that improved protections for immigrants, Native women, and
LGBTQ victims of violence. The House bill
did not include these protections, and in fact, rolled back important
confidentiality protections for immigrant women. The PC(USA) supports the Senate-passed bill
and urges Congress to complete a VAWA reauthorization this year that protects
ALL victims of violence.
Right
now, House leadership is in talks with VAWA’s Senate champions to discuss the
reauthorization, but House leaders are hesitating about the provisions to
protect Native women. There is a path to bipartisan passage that
protects and provides justice for all victims – including Native American
women. Under current law, Native victims face dire and life-threatening
violence on Tribal lands at the hands of non-Native offenders who cannot be
prosecuted by tribal courts. Neither can these perpetrators be prosecuted
in non-Tribal courts because the offense took place on Tribal lands. The House must agree to include new
protections for these victims and ensure that perpetrators of violence can be
held accountable. It’s important for
us to tell House leaders that we will stand with them if they do the right
thing.
VAWA
has bipartisan support and in recent days, dozens of Republican members of
Congress have offered real solutions and solid support for the provisions that
include all victims. Last week, Congressmen Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Tom
Cole (R-OK) introduced H.R. 6625, a stand-alone bill which contains compromise
language to address Republican concerns that the tribal jurisdiction over non
tribal defendants is unconstitutional. These good faith efforts to find common
ground and a path forward must not be dismissed.
CALL
immediately to Speaker Boehner’s 202-225-0600 or 202.225.6205
and House Majority Leader Cantor’s office 202-225-2815 or 202.
225.4000
and
strongly urge House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Speaker Boehner to
seize the moment and get this bill done with the compromise tribal
jurisdictional provisions intact. This is their opportunity to stand firm
with victims of violence and we are prayerful and optimistic that they will put
politics aside and pass a VAWA inclusive of those who have been left behind so
far. House leadership needs to hear loud and clear that now is the time
to pass a VAWA for all victims—Native women included. And they need to
also hear that a VAWA which does not protect Native women and does not hold
perpetrators accountable is unacceptable.
All
victims of violence – including Native Women - cannot afford to wait another
year for justice.
See previous posts about the Violence Against Women Act:
