Violence Against Women Act—Where we are now, where we go from here

Before Congress adjourned at the end of October, it reauthorized funding for many Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) I programs and a few related programs. These include judicial training on child abuse; grants to encourage arrest policies; rural domestic violence; STOP grants; training related to sex offenders; training for probation and parole officers; civil legal assistance programs; research on domestic violence; the national domestic violence hot line; money for shelters; rape prevention and education; and runaway, street, and homeless youth grants. Some programs received an increase over the fiscal year 1998 appropriation while other programs received a decrease in funding. The only new program to receive funding is the campus violence grants.

Thank you for all your efforts in support of VAWA II. Now we must turn to VAWA ‘99.

The first meeting to review VAWA II and begin the process of crafting a legislative proposal that will eventually become VAWA ’99 is scheduled in November 1998 in Washington, D.C. However, you do not need to be at that meeting or located in D.C. or New York to get involved. To volunteer to work on the whole package (this is for individuals who love to pore over the minutiae of technical details in the bills which comprise the omnibus package), contact Seema Zeya at NOW LDEF in D.C. at 202.544.4470 or Andrea Williams at NOW LDEF in New York at 212.925.6635.

If you have interests, expertise, or skills in some, but not all, of the areas that VAWA ’99 will encompass, you can work through the various committees in order to have influence on the drafting. Below is a list of the chairs of each committee. You may contact them directly if you have thoughts, improvements, or policy proposals for the next round of legislation. Where no chair is listed and you want to be involved and/or be the chair, contact Seema Zeya or Andrea Williams.

Issue committees

Childcare & Violence:

Contact Roslyn Powell, NOW LDEF, 212.925.6635.
Child Custody & Violence: Contact Juley Fulcher, NCADV, 202.544.7358.
Civil Rights: Contact Julie Goldscheid, NOW LDEF, 212.925.6635.
Crime/Law Enforcement: Contact Donna Edwards, NNEDV, 202.543.5566.
Hate Crimes: Contact Jody Rabhan, NCJW, 202.296.2588.
Healthcare & Violence: Contact Lisa Moreno, FVPF, 202.624.9470.
Housing/Homelessness & Violence: Contact Susheela Varky, McAuley Inst., 301.588.8110.
Insurance & Violence: Contact Terry Fromson, Women’s Law Project, 215.928.9801.
Legal Services for Victims of Violence: Contact Juley Fulcher, NCADV, 202.544.7358 (subcommittees include legal services for domestic violence and legal services for sexual assault, rape, and incest victims).
Military Violence: Contact Donna Edwards, NNEDV, 202.543.5566.
School Violence/Acquaintance & Campus Rape: No contact known at press time.
Sexual Assault, Rape & Incest: Contact Bev Harris Elliott, NCASA, 717.728.9764.
VAWA I Funding & Technical Corrections: Contact Donna Edwards, NNEDV, 202.543.5566.
Welfare & Violence: Contact Andrea Williams, NOW LDEF, 212.925.6635.
Workplace & Violence: Contact Julie Goldscheid, NOW LDEF 212.925.6635.

Constituency committees

Battered Immigrant Women:

Contact Leslye Orloff, AYUDA, 202.387.0434 ext. 20.
Disabled Women & Violence: No contact known at press time.
Lesbian & Gay Violence: Contact Rebecca Isaacs, Nat’l Gay & Lesbian Task Force, 202.332.6483.
Older Women & Violence: Contact Bonnie Brandl, Wis. CADV, 608.255.0539.
Volunteers for chairs or contacts are needed (ideas for additional groups are welcome):
African American Women & Violence
Asian American Women & Violence
Arab American Women & Violence
Latinas & Violence
Native American Women & Violence
Research, Women & Violence
Violence and the Religious Community
International/Global Violence

For further information contact Wendy Pollack at 312.263.3830 ext. 238.