[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 111 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S8751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to talk 
about an important issue--the critical need for Congress to reauthorize 
the Violence Against Women Act or VAWA. It has strong bipartisan 
support and it should be passed before the end of this session.
  I was a proud cosponsor of this bill when it passed in 1994 and I am 
an original cosponsor of the reauthorization bill. This is a law that 
has helped hundreds of thousands of women and children in Iowa and 
across the nation. It has directed millions of federal dollars in 
grants to local law enforcement, prosecution and victim services.
  Iowa has received more than $8 million in grants through VAWA. These 
grants fund the Iowa Domestic Violence Hotline. They help keep the 
doors open at domestic violence shelters, like the Family Violence 
Center in Des Moines.
  VAWA grants to Iowa have provided services to more than 2,000 sexual 
assault victims just this year. And more than 20,559 Iowa students this 
year have received information about rape prevention through this 
federal funding.
  The numbers show that VAWA is working. A recent Justice report found 
that intimate partner violence against women decreased by 21 percent 
from 1993 to 1998. This is strong evidence that state and community 
efforts are working.
  But VAWA must be reauthorized to allow these efforts to continue 
without having to worry that this funding will be lost from year to 
year.
  Congress should not turn its back on America's women and children. 
Reauthorization should be a priority. So, I urge my colleagues and the 
leadership to pass this legislation this session.

                          ____________________