Survivors and lawmakers urge Congress to reauthorize Violence Against Women Act years after it expired
CBSN
A bipartisan group of senators aims to introduce a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act when the Senate reconvenes next year.
The act, also known as VAWA, is a critical resource for domestic violence survivors. Signed in 1994, the law established the National Domestic Violence Hotline and covers everything from legal protections for victims and funding for shelters. The law hasn't been reauthorized since 2013. It needs to be reauthorized every five years, but Congress only approved a short-term extension in 2018, and it expired in 2019.
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a domestic violence survivor, has been working to reauthorize VAWA since it expired. Its reauthorization had been stalled by controversial provisions like stricter gun restrictions, which some of her fellow Republicans oppose.
