House Approves Reauthorization of Justice Department - Women's Congressional Policy Institute

After months of negotiations, the House on September 26 approved, 400-4, the conference report for a bill (H.R. 2215) that reauthorizes the Department of Justice (DoJ).

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 issue 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.

In praising the creation of a permanent VAWO, Rep. Slaughter said, “The importance of this office cannot be overestimated. In fact, in a survey conducted by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, reports of domestic violence have dropped 21 percent since the inception of this office.”

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) agreed, “The Violence Against Women Act is a proven part of the solution to these problems, and a permanent office with a strong director will help us continue to move forward to end this problem forever.”