The House Judiciary Committee began consideration of a bill (H.R. 1248) to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) on June 22. Work on the bill will resume on June 27. The measure was approved by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime on May 11.
The committee considered several amendments aimed at improving and strengthening the bill. The manager’s amendment, offered by Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), would authorize $15 million for FY2001 through FY2004 for a new program to provide supervised visitation of children by parents who have been involved in a domestic dispute. The amendment also would clarify that victims of domestic violence are not responsible for the costs associated with criminal or civil orders. Additionally, the manager’s amendment would provide flexibility for law enforcement officials to enforce interstate protection orders, and would add dating violence to the list of categories for which law enforcement grants (STOP grants), grants to encourage arrests, and rural domestic violence grants can be used. The amendment also would clarify the definition of a state domestic violence coalition. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Another amendment, offered by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), would authorize a new training program dealing with elder abuse. The amendment would authorize $15 million for FY2001 through FY2004 for law enforcement, law school curricula, prosecutorial, and judicial training on elder abuse. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Another amendment, offered by Rep. McCollum, would authorize $25 million for FY2001 through 2003 and $30 million for FY2004 for a new transitional housing grant program. The grants would be used to assist individuals who are homeless or otherwise need housing assistance after fleeing their homes due to domestic violence. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Another amendment, offered by Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), would authorize $35 million in FY2001, increasing to $55 million in FY2004, for a new civil legal assistance program for victims of domestic violence. The amendment would prohibit the use of funds to pay for abortion-related litigation or legal assistance. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Several Democratic amendments were defeated. One such amendment, offered by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), would have added dating violence and same-sex violence to the definition of domestic violence. The amendment sparked spirited debate about the definition of domestic violence. Rep. McCollum, while supporting the addition of dating violence to the bill, opposed including the term under domestic violence. “Domestic, domesticity has another meaning. I don’t want to label dating under domestic,” stated Rep. McCollum. Democrats argued that failing to include dating violence and same-sex violence “leaves a gaping hole in addressing violence against women,” according to Rep. Conyers.
Committee Chair Henry Hyde (R-IL) opposed the amendment, saying, “I think you are putting an awful burden on police when called to a home… to have to determine the nature of the relationship.” The amendment was defeated, 11-14.
Another amendment, offered by Rep. Conyers, would have added religion, sexual orientation, and alienage status to the definition of underserved populations. During subcommittee action, Rep. McCollum offered an amendment that would define under- served populations as “populations underserved by geographic locations (such as rural isolation), underserved racial and ethnic populations, populations underserved because of special needs (such as language barriers, disability, or age), and any other population determined to be underserved by the state.” The Conyers amendment, which was also offered and defeated at subcommittee, would add the three categories that were included in the original version of H.R. 1248. The amendment was defeated, 11-16.
Another amendment, offered by Rep. Conyers, would have amended the underlying bill by replacing it with H.R. 357. That bill would reauthorize VAWA programs as well as create a number of new VAWA programs. Saying that this was “another case where Republicans want to do the bare minimum to help women,” Rep. Conyers urged the committee to consider a more “comprehensive bill.” However, the amendment was withdrawn after a point of order was reserved.
Sponsored by Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD), H.R. 1248 would reauthorize law enforcement and prosecution VAWA grants at $185 million in FY2001 through 2003 and $195 million in FY2004. The domestic violence hotline would be authorized at $1.8 million in FY2001 and $2 million in FY2002 through 2004. Battered women’s shelters and services administered through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act would be authorized at $160 million in FY2001, $200 million in FY2002, and $260 million in FY2003 and 2004.
Additionally, grants for community initiatives would be authorized at $9 million in FY2001, $10 million in FY2002, $11 million in FY2003, and $12 million in FY2004. Grants for education and training for judges and court personnel in state courts would be authorized at $1.5 million for FY2001 through 2004. Identical grants for federal courts would be authorized at $500,000 for FY2001 through 2004.
Grants to encourage arrest policies would be authorized at $67 million in FY2001 and $70 million in FY2002 through 2004. Rural domestic abuse and child abuse enforcement would be authorized at $35 million for FY2001 through 2004 and stalking and domestic violence reduction programs would be authorized at $3 million for FY2001 through 2004.
Education and prevention grants to reduce sexual abuse of runaway and homeless youth would be authorized at $22 million for FY2001 through 2004. Court-Appointed Special Advocates would be authorized at $12 million for FY2001 through 2004. Child abuse training programs for judicial personnel would be authorized at $2.3 million for FY2001 through 2004 and grants for televised testimony would be authorized at $1 million for FY2001 through 2004. Rape prevention programs would be authorized at $105 million in FY2001 and 2002, and $155 million in FY2003 and 2004.
During subcommittee action an amendment was adopted that would allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use rape prevention grant money to train and hire Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. The amendment, offered by Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Steve Chabot (R-OH), was approved by voice vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is tentatively scheduled to mark up a similar version of the measure (as-yet-unnumbered) the week of June 26.
