[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                    REPUBLICAN BILL ENDANGERS WOMEN

  (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. I rise today to oppose H.R. 4970. Under 
current law, a woman who is married to a U.S. citizen or a legal 
permanent resident and is a victim of spousal abuse can file a self-
petition for legal permanent residency in order to leave that abusive 
relationship.
  This provision has helped women like Maria, whose husband physically 
abused her and threatened to kill her two children. Without his 
knowledge, she started a VAWA self-petition process, meeting with an 
attorney at the laundromat on her usual laundry day and hiding her 
paperwork.
  What this bill does is exposes women like Maria. It strips 
confidentiality protections and allows government officials to contact 
the spouse. Why would we do that? For these women, tipping off abusive 
spouses is nothing short of putting them in harm's way. It's a shame.
  It's a shame that this so-called Violence Against Women bill could 
actually cause violence to women. Mr. Speaker, this bill is outright 
dangerous, and I urge my colleagues to say ``no.''

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