Last week on February 7, 2013, the Senate began consideration of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (WAVA, S. 47). The Senate is scheduled to resume consideration of the measure on February 11. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), would authorize about $660 million annually for FY2014 through FY2018 for programs that address domestic and sexual violence in the US. The text of S. 47 is available here.
The Senate approved similar legislation (S. 1925) in April 2012 (see Women’s Policy Inc, The Source, 4/27/12) and the House approved its version of the bill (H.R. 4970) in May 2012. However, the House and Senate bills both expired at the end of the 112th Congress. (Right, Pringle-Patric House, located at 1316 E. High Street in Springfield, Ohio. Built in 1877 and since converted into a women’s shelter, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wikipedia)
The table below compares certain provisions in S. 1925 and S. 47.
The table below compares certain provisions in S. 1925 and S. 47.
|
Provision |
S. 1925 (112th Congress) |
S. 47 (113th Congress) |
|
Authorizes $222 million annually for the STOP [Services-Training-Officers-Prosecutors] grant program for FY2014 through FY2018 |
YES |
YES |
|
Requires at least 20 percent of STOP grants funds be spent on programs that specifically address sexual assault |
YES |
YES |
|
Authorizes $73 million annually for the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforce Protection Orders (GTEAP) program |
YES |
YES |
|
Authorizes $12 million annually to address violence on college campuses |
YES |
YES |
|
Requires colleges and universities to distribute procedures and policies regarding dating violence, rape, stalking, and sexual assault |
YES |
YES |
|
Authorizes grant money to be spent on services for victims who have difficulty accessing traditional services due to their sexual orientation or gender identity |
YES |
YES |
|
Gives federally recognized American Indian tribes concurrent criminal jurisdiction over non-Native American offenders for cases involving domestic or dating violence if the defendant lived or worked in the Indian country of the tribe, is married to a member of the tribe, or is in an intimate relationship with a member of the tribe |
YES |
YES |
|
Authorizes $5 million annually to support tribal efforts to combat domestic violence |
YES |
YES |
|
Increases the number of U visas available for immigrant victims of domestic violence and sexual assault |
YES |
NO |
|
Requires minimum prison sentence of at least five years for those convicted of sexual assault |
YES |
NO |
|
Requires 75 percent of grants under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program to be used to reduce DNA evidence backlogs |
NO |
YES |
|
Requires seven percent of Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program funding to be used to conduct audits of untested DNA |
NO |
YES |
|
Requires Department of Justice to establish Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry within one year of bill’s enactment |
NO |
YES |
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