[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 27, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2013

  (Mr. RUIZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RUIZ. I would like to thank the Senate for working in a 
bipartisan manner to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization 
Act. However, the House Republican version of the bill fails to protect 
all women, including Native American women, immigrant women, and the 
LGBT community.
  I rise today in strong opposition to the House Republican version of 
the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. As an ER doctor, I have 
seen firsthand the beaten and bruised bodies of women victims and the 
invisible scars left on the victim, her family, and community. Native 
American women in my district and across the country endure an epidemic 
of domestic violence, and in most cases the abusers are not members of 
the tribes. Tribes must have the right to protect their daughters, 
sisters, and mothers from violence.
  We must work to make sure that all women are protected from domestic 
violence. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in opposition to the 
House Republican version of this legislation, and I look forward to the 
passage of the bipartisan Senate version of this legislation.

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