Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco issued the following statement today after the introduction of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in Congress:
“The Department of Justice applauds the introduction of legislation by a bipartisan group of Senators to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Last fall, I had the honor of testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the enormous impact that VAWA has had in combating domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. As I told the Senate Judiciary Committee then, I know from my personal experience helping to research the original VAWA legislation in the 1990s that the new tools and resources from this reauthorization are critical to modernizing our efforts to prevent and end these crimes. The department urges Congress to swiftly pass this essential legislation.”