Violence Against Women Act Still in Limbo in House
The Violence Against Women Act is expected to clear a procedural hurdle Monday and be moved out of the Senate by the end of the week with bipartisan support, but its future remains in limbo in the House of Representatives because of key protections for immigrants and the LGBT community.
The original bill, which was passed in the 1990s, expired nearly two years ago. Its reauthorization has been a top priority for Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo since the legislation sailed through the Senate in April 2011 with 68 votes. But the House version, which passed in May 2012, was significantly different. The bill was stripped of many of the Senate's provisions, and the White House threatened to veto it. The House and the Senate never agreed on how to proceed, so lawmakers started from scratch in January when the 113th Congress reconvened.
And while the Senate bill has been tweaked slightly, many of the partisan sticking points remain.
"The Leahy-Crapo VAWA bill seeks to protect all victims of domestic and sexual violence, including tribal women, college students, and members of the LGBT community," Leahy said in a statement. "The bill closely mirrors the bill that was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate last year, and is the result of close consultation with law enforcement officials and the dedicated experts in the field."
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http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/02/04/violence-against-women-act-still-in-limbo-in-house
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