[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO

  (Ms. BONAMICI asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, it's truly unfortunate that we're here 
today talking about the possibility of voting against the Violence 
Against Women Act. This bill was originally passed and has been 
consistently reauthorized with strong bipartisan support, but it now 
faces unnecessary hurdles.
  There has been a drop in annual rates of domestic violence since the 
passage of the Violence Against Women Act, but we still have work to 
do. Alarmingly, one in four women and one in seven men have been 
victims of domestic violence in their lifetime, but the current bill is 
not the way to move forward.
  Unlike the companion bill that passed in the Senate with strong 
bipartisan support, this House bill will take us backwards. It 
eliminates protections for immigrants dependent on and exploited by 
their spouses, keeping them trapped in violent relationships. It could 
let perpetrators of sexual violence against Native American women off 
the hook, and it utterly fails to recognize that anyone can be a victim 
of domestic abuse, including those in same-sex relationships.
  Every time we reauthorize an act of Congress, we have an opportunity 
to improve. Improvement, not further harming victims, should be our 
focus with the reauthorization.

                          ____________________