Congress Clears Justice Department Authorization Conference Report

One week after the House approved the conference report for a bill (H.R. 2215) to reauthorize the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Senate cleared the conference report by voice vote, sending it to the President (see The Source, 9/27/02). The Senate vote occurred on October 3, after several Senators removed holds they had placed on the measure.

The final bill includes a provision that establishes a separate and independent Violence Against Women Office (VAWO) within the DoJ. The director of the office will be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and will report to the Attorney General. The director of the office is authorized to award grants and contracts to carry out the activities and programs of the Violence Against Women Act (P.L. 106-386). Other duties and functions of the director and the office include:

maintaining a liaison with the judicial branches of the federal and state governments on matters relating to violence against women;
providing information to the President, Congress, the judiciary, state, local, and tribal governments, and the general public on violence against women;
serving as the representative of the DoJ on domestic task forces, committees, or commissions; and
serving as the representative of the U.S. government on human rights and economic justice issues related to violence against women in international settings.

The provision is similar to provisions included in both the House- and Senate-passed bills and is based on H.R. 28, sponsored by Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Connie Morella (R-MD), S. 161, sponsored by Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN), and S. 570, sponsored by Sens. Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Mike DeWine (R-OH).

Additionally, the final measure includes a House- and Senate-passed provision requiring the department to study and assess the backlog of untested rape kits nationwide.

Pointing to the importance of elevating the position of the director of the VAWO, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) said, “A director who is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate will have the stature, credibility and authority necessary to spearhead the efforts to end violence against women. In practical terms, a director with this sort of clout will attract the attention of key Congressional leaders, will be able to travel the country and bring state leaders to the table for local initiatives, and will be able to command the nation’s bully pulpit on these issues.”