House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

­­­­­­­­­­­­The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), originally passed almost 30 years ago, is responsible for the creation and continued support of crisis management resources available to women who experience and survive the most unconscionable acts of sexual and domestic violence. Thanks to the revolutionary act, women across this country were granted protection from their abuser and the resources to start again.
 
A legislative effort that was once a bipartisan, common-sense initiative in recognizing the shortcomings within the detection of gender-based violence and the law enforcement response in cases of sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence, was left to expire in 2019 as a result of outside special interest groups and political bureaucracy.
 
With each day that VAWA goes untouched in the United States Senate, the protection of women and young girls is left in the hands of those who refuse to put their health and safety first. With each month that the bill continues to stall, another 53 women will be shot and killed by their partner, while 1 in 5 women and girls will continue to fall victim to sexual assault in the year to come.
 
Please join me in supporting this critical legislation, as we urge the United States Senate to reauthorize VAWA, and use our collective voice to speak on behalf of the women and young girls of Pennsylvania.