Bill Text: NJ SCR112 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress to reauthorize Violence Against Women Act.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [SCR112 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-SCR112-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to reauthorize Violence Against Women Act.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
Whereas, The Violence against Women Act of 1994 (Pub.L.103-322) (VAWA) was the first federal enactment recognizing domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes; the 1994 law provided $1.6 billion in federal resources to encourage community-coordinated responses to combat violence by enhancing the ability of states to investigate and prosecute violent crimes perpetrated against women, requiring the imposition of automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted of these crimes, permitting the federal prosecution of interstate domestic violence and sexual assault cases and the enforcement of interstate protection orders, and allowing for civil redress in cases that prosecutors chose not to prosecute; and
Whereas, Subsequent reauthorizations of the VAWA in 2000, which improved the foundation of the original law by creating a legal assistance program for victims of violent crimes and expanding the definition of crime to include dating violence and stalking, and in 2005, which developed culturally and linguistically-specific criminal, civil justice, and community-based programs geared to meet the emerging needs of ethnic populations across the nation, have dramatically increased the ability of federal, state, and local governmental agencies and victim services organizations to provide critical services to support women in their struggle to overcome abusive situations; and
Whereas, The VAWA continues to support comprehensive and cost- effective responses to the crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking on the federal, State, and local levels by: encouraging collaboration among law enforcement agencies, the courts, attorneys, and victim services organizations; creating a leadership role for the federal government that has encouraged state, local, and tribal governments to improve responses to victims and perpetrators of these crimes; establishing new federal crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and defining those crimes to fill in jurisdictional gaps in the way the crimes are prosecuted; identifying best practices in the way governmental entities and victim services organizations respond to victims and perpetrators of violent crimes; and focusing on the needs of underserved communities such as immigrant, Native American, and gay and transgendered populations; and
Whereas, As a result of the VAWA's enactment, more than 660 new state laws have been enacted to combat domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, including making stalking a crime and upgrading the criminal penalties for date or spousal rape; additionally, more victims are reporting acts of violence and receiving services that help them move from crisis to stability, and the criminal justice system has improved its ability to keep victims safe and hold perpetrators responsible for their actions; and
Whereas, The VAWA not only helps to improve the lives of crime victims but saves money as well; a 2002 study found that the law saved taxpayers approximately $14.8 billion in net averted social costs in its first six years of existence; and
Whereas, The current reauthorization of the VAWA ended in federal Fiscal Year 2011; the 2012 reauthorization bill, S.1925, introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (Vermont) and Mike Crapo (Indiana), would: expand public housing protections and protections for immigrant victims and foreign brides; clarify that tribal courts have jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit acts of domestic violence on tribal land; continue the requirement of setting aside a percentage of funding to assist tribal governments and coalitions in protecting Native-American women, who as a group, experience significantly higher rates of domestic violence and sexual assault than do other women; authorize funding to train courts and police in assisting immigrant women who cooperate with law enforcement to receive visas; provide important assistance for anti-domestic violence programs for youth and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered victims; fund efforts to reduce rape kit backlogs; provide additional protection against sexual abuse and exploitation for prisoners and probationers; and make national standards for the elimination of prison rape applicable to immigration detention facilities; and
Whereas, Since 1994, the VAWA has broken new ground in federal, state, tribal, and local responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, and each reauthorization has been renewed with near unanimous support; in order for the VAWA's programs to continue to impact the way law enforcement agencies, courts, legal professionals, and victim services organizations respond to, and meet the needs of, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, while holding the perpetrators responsible for their actions, Congress is urged to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and provide additional protections for victims of these crimes; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The United States Congress is urged to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to allow the VAWA's programs to continue to impact the way law enforcement agencies, the courts, legal professionals, and victim services organizations respond to, and meet the needs of, victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, while holding perpetrators responsible for their actions, and to provide additional protections for victims of these crimes.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this concurrent resolution, signed by the President of the Senate and attested by the Secretary of the Senate and signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Office on Violence Against Women in the United States Department of Justice, and every member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution urges the United States Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to allow the VAWA's programs to continue to impact the way law enforcement agencies, the courts, legal professionals, and victim services organizations respond to, and meet the needs of, victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, while holding perpetrators responsible for their actions, and to provide additional protections for victims of these crimes.
