Bennet: It's 'unthinkable' that the House didn't pass VAWA last Congress

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) on Tuesday told the House to stop letting “politics get in the way” of protecting women and quickly pass the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

“It is unthinkable that the House of Representatives allowed the Violence Against Women Act to expire before the end of the year,” Bennet said in a statement Tuesday. “We cannot allow politics to get in the way of protecting our mothers, daughters and grandmothers. It’s time to end the intransigence in the House of Representatives and get this bill passed.”

The Senate passed an expanded VAWA bill during the 112th Congress on a 68-31 vote. The Senate bill added protections for Native Americans, gays and lesbians and immigrants who are victims of domestic violence.

“This bill passed the Senate with broad, bipartisan support, as it has every time it has come up for a vote previously,” Bennet said. “The Senate bill makes critical reforms to ensure that resources are available for all women in our country and keeps in place critical programs that help victims of awful crimes such as rape and domestic violence.”

The House never took up the Senate bill, meaning work on the legislation has to start over in the 113th Congress.

---