Senator Mark Begich today spoke on the floor of the United States Senate urging his colleagues to pass the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization (VAWA), which is scheduled to come up for a vote later this week. The bill has not been reauthorized since 2006 and would reauthorize existing VAWA grant programs to prevent and respond to violent crimes against women, children, and families and educate individuals about domestic violence and sexual assault. Sen. Begich notes that 3 out of every 4 Alaskans know or have known someone who has experienced domestic or sexual violence, and child sexual assault in Alaska is almost six times the national average, underlining the immediate need for this bill.
“It’s not every day that we get to vote on a law that actually saves lives, but this one does. The Senate needs to send the simple and important message that Alaskans and all Americans will not tolerate violence against women, children, and families. We must do our part to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault, it’s time for us to step up and make sure this happens now. I look forward to casting my vote for the reauthorization hopefully very soon,” Begich said.
Click below to view Senator Begich's statement over YouTube
Hi Kaye. Kudos to Senator Begich. We are so blessed to have him as a law maker. I'm happy to know that he's concerned with women.
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