23 Feb 2013 1:05 pm
House GOP Unveils Competing Violence Against Women ActHouse Republicans released their version of the Violence Against Women Act on Friday and are poised to fast-track it to a floor vote next Tuesday during a Rules Committee hearing.The House GOP’s legislation doesn’t go as far as the reauthorization that passed the Senate on an overwhelming bipartisan vote earlier this month. It reflects some movement in that direction but falls short of a breakthrough on the central disputes that scuttled reauthorization of VAWA last year, namely, coverage for gay, Native American and illegal immigrant women. Democrats quickly rejected the bill and advocates against domestic violence expressed concerns with it.“The House is expected to take up a strong Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization next week so we can protect all women from acts of violence and help law enforcement prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” said Megan Whittemore, a spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who helped craft the bill.Unlike the Senate-passed version, the House GOP’s proposed legislation does not explicitly guarantee equal coverage for gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence, and it would create a hurdle for tribal courts to prosecute non-Native Americans charged with assaulting women on tribal lands. It also includes stricter criteria for abused illegal immigrants to gain legal status.(Read more at link in title.)Top Dems Reject House GOP’s Violence Against Women Act: ‘Simply Unacceptable’Top Senate Democrats excoriated the competing House Republican version of the Violence Against Women Act hours after it was unveiled Friday.Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the author of VAWA, derided the legislation as “partisan” and said it omits critical measures designed to protect vulnerable populations like Native Americans, immigrants and the gay and lesbian community.