Action Alert: Call Sen. Blunt to vote for VAWAreauthorization on Monday, Feb 4

       VAWA 2013 Reauthorization bill to be considered in U.S. Senate on
Monday, February 4


·         Call or email Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt to
ask him to vote for S.47, VAWA reauthorization, without
amendments


 The U.S. Senate is scheduled to consider the reauthorization of the
federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), S. 47, on Monday, February 4


·         Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled the
VAWA debate for 5:30 p.m. (Eastern). A vote will likely occur Thursday,
February 7.


·         Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill (D) is a co-sponsor of S.47;
Missouri Senator Roy Blunt (R) is not.





Action Alert for Missouri advocates—Please forward to your supporters,
colleagues, families and friends


Call or email Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and ask him to vote for S. 47,
without amendments, to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.





·         Reach Sen. Blunt at 202-224-5721 or by email at
http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-roy


·         Or, you can call the Capitol switchboard toll-free at
888.269.5702 and ask the operator to connect you to Senator Blunt.





1.       Introduce yourself as a constituent from (city) and the domestic
violence/sexual assault program you are affiliated with or support;


2.       Ask for Sen. Blunt's vote to pass S.47, the bipartisan Violence
Against Women Act reauthorization bill, without amendments;


3.       Say thank you and that you look forward to hearing that the
Senator has voted for VAWA.





If asked, briefly say why, in your own words, VAWA must be reauthorized:


a.       VAWA is the cornerstone of our nation's response to
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and
stalking, and because of VAWA, millions of victims have
received lifesaving services and support. We need to continue
and strengthen the work to end violence against women, and S.47
gives us the tools we need in Missouri and nationwide.





VAWA Reauthorization Basic Facts


S.47 has two primary sponsors, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Mike
Crapo (R-ID). The bill  now has 60 bipartisan co-sponsors, which should
guarantee its passage. However, there is a possibility that amendments
could be introduced on the floor next week that would attach non-germane
provisions to VAWA and could slow down forward movement on the bill. This
is why we are asking that no amendments be passed on S.47.





The Leahy/Crapo bill, S. 47, combines some VAWA programs and reduces the
total authorized for VAWA funding.  The Leahy/Crapo bill does not
constitute a cut to current funding.  S.47 does not include the U-Visa
increase that created procedural difficulties in 2012. It is hoped that
this issue will be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation
later this year. The bill also includes the bipartisan version of the SAFER
Act that passed the Senate last year and addresses the backlog of sexual
assault evidence. The bill excludes some amendments added by the Judiciary
committee after introduction last year that did not relate directly to
VAWA.





Fact Sheets on specific VAWA provisions


The following resource materials are available from the website of the
National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV):


·         Immigration:
http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/VAWA_Immigration_Factsheet_S47.pdf


·         International Marriage Broker Amendments:
http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/IMBRA_Factsheet_2013.pdf


·         Tribal:
http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/VAWA_113th_TribalProvisions_Factsheet.pdf





A list of the current VAWA reauthorization co-sponsors is available here :
http://nnedv.org/docs/Policy/2013_VAWA_S47_CoSponsors.pdf





LET'S GET VAWA REAUTHORIZED!!


Atara Estes, CEO/Founder/Mentor/Motivational Speaker of Sound the Alarm
Outreach