Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e8SCrg920562; Thu, 28 Sep 2000 08:53:42 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 08:53:42 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <AF196F44735ED411B93A00508BDFB108280F2D@WDCROBEXC09> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Gullion, Christy" <Christy_Gullion@ed.gov> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:1021] Update - Violence Against Women Act in danger X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Status: O Content-Length: 3134 Lines: 67 As you know, the VAWA has passed the House and is now in the Senate awaiting consideration. Unfortunately, the Senate has very limited time to consider this bill before the end of the Congressional session. If they do not take up the bill by Saturday, the bill will be dead. I have attached a news article explaining more details about the process and deadlines. Christy Gullion Senior Policy Analyst National Institute for Literacy 202-233-2033 (voice) cgullion@nifl.gov ______________________________________________ Violence Against Women Act in danger Popular bill may fail if other, unrelated measures are added By Tracy Van Slyke, St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press, Washington Bureau Published: Thursday, September 28, 2000 Thanks to the unique logic of Congress, a popular bill to help curb domestic violence may be in danger of failing because it's so popular. Congress has until Saturday to pass the Violence Against Women Act, which would set aside $3.6 billion over the next five years to continue and expand domestic violence programs. The House passed the measure Tuesday by a 415-3 vote. In the Senate, which has yet to vote on the bill, the act has broad bipartisan support. But in Congress, popularity can be hazardous. Congressional leaders often link popular legislation to proposals that lack widespread support, so lawmakers must choose between voting for legislation they dislike and killing measures they support. On Wednesday, backers demanded that the bill reach the Senate free of any unrelated legislation. ``It is now time for the Senate to act,'' President Clinton said. ``With over 70 sponsors in the Senate, there is no reason for delay.'' A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said the Republican leadership was committed to passing the bill but did not preclude attaching it to another measure. One idea the Republicans are considering would link the act with legislation to change bankruptcy laws, a measure opposed by many Democrats. ``It should not be viewed as a bargaining chip or a trade-off,'' said Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. ``That devalues what it is. It cheapens it.'' Rep. Connie Morella, a Maryland Republican who co-sponsored the legislation in the House, also called on Senate leaders not to encumber the domestic violence bill with other measures. And after meeting with Lott's chief of staff, Patricia Ireland, the president of the National Organization for Women, said the responsibility falls to the GOP leader. ``He can't just use this bill to shield or sweeten another bill,'' Ireland said. ``He has the power to move it.'' The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act would expand the original legislation, which was passed in 1994 and has provided more than $1.6 billion to train police and prosecutors for domestic violence cases, pay for victim advocate services, and support prevention and intervention programs. If President Clinton does not sign the legislation by Saturday, the act will expire and leave many programs without the money to continue. © 2000 PioneerPlanet / St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press
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