Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement on VAWA Inclusion in Omnibus

Washington, DC, March 9, 2022
 CONTACT: Michelle Moreno-Silva
Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Lois Frankel (FL-21), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act being included as part of the House-passed Omnibus spending package.
“Today’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act has been three years in the making and is cause for celebration for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and dating violence,” said the Members. “The provisions in this bipartisan bill not only address the barriers survivors face in seeking justice, they also will empower survivors, bolster support services, strengthen law enforcement, improve existing statutes to address longstanding inequities, and, most importantly, save lives. We applaud today’s vote and what it means for survivors and those fighting on behalf of survivors for generations to come."
The bill, which would reauthorize VAWA through 2027, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law.
Key provisions of the bill:
  • Provides services, protection and justice for young victims of violence, including extending the Rape Prevention and Education grant program and improving grants focused on prevention education for students in institutions of higher education.
  • Enhances judicial and law enforcement tools through reauthorization of the Justice Department’s STOP Violence Against Women Formula Program, known as the STOP Program, and expansion of the STOP Program to better support survivors who are 50 years of age or older and survivors with disabilities.
  • Reauthorizes and updates the SMART Prevention Program to reduce dating violence, help children who have been exposed to domestic violence, and engage men in preventing violence.
  • Provides economic security assistance for survivors by reauthorizing the National Resource Center on Workplace Response. Expands the program to support sexual harassment victims and ensure that the program’s resources are available to private-sector businesses with fewer than 20 employees in addition to public-sector entities.
  • Improves the medical response to instances of domestic violence and sexual assault, including expanding access to medical forensic examinations after a sexual assault for survivors who live in rural communities.
  • Protects Indian women by improving tribal access to federal crime information databases and clarifying the existence of tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence, sexual violence, sex trafficking and stalking that takes place on tribal lands.
  • Authorizes a grant program to provide community-specific services for LGBT survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Directs the Office on Violence Against Women to provide technical assistance and training to victim service providers and organizations that are seeking to work with survivors.
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