TCFV Looks Forward to President Obama Signing the Bill into Law
Austin, Texas — The U.S. House of Representatives took up the Senate-passed bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and passed this vital legislation by a bipartisan vote. The Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) applauds Members of Congress and the Texas delegation for voting for VAWA’s passage.
The landmark legislation passed by the House preserves and maintains core funding for life-saving victim services at family violence shelter’s and rape crisis centers across the country. Since its original passage in 1994, VAWA has dramatically enhanced our nation’s response to violence against women and annual rates of domestic violence have plummeted more than 60 percent.
“The Representatives and Senators who voted in favor of VAWA have renewed our nation’s commitment to protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence. We are glad this measure will be signed into law by the President,” said Gloria Terry, President of the Texas Council on Family Violence.
Intimate partner violence in Texas continues to weigh on families and communities: in 2011, 102 women were killed by their batterers and some 79,053 victims accessed family violence services in fiscal year 2012 alone.
Terry said, “VAWA represents a well-vetted and successful approach to helping victims of intimate partner violence obtain safety and to holding batterers accountable.”
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Texas Council on Family Violence is a statewide organization representing a network of domestic violence programs that provide direct services to victims and their families, and serves as the voice of victims at the state level while working with local communities to create strategies. For more information go to: http://www.tcfv.org/.