For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2020
Contact: Matt Baca — (505) 270-7148
Santa Fe, NM—Attorney General Balderas today joined a coalition of 24 attorneys
general calling on the U.S. Senate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which
expired more than a year ago. As isolation and uncertainty during the COVID-19
pandemic increases the risk to domestic violence victims, the Senate must act
immediately, the attorneys general argue. In April of 2019, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed a bill with bipartisan support reauthorizing the act, but after more
than a year, the Senate has yet to take up consideration of the bill, nor has it taken up a
companion bill.
“Domestic violence survivors are among the most vulnerable populations in New Mexico,
particularly during the current health emergency, and we must do everything we can to
protect and support these survivors,” said Attorney General Balderas. “The Senate must
act immediately to extend the vital protections that VAWA provides to survivors of abuse
and violence.”
The Violence Against Women Act, originally passed in 1994, created an Office on
Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice, and provides billions of dollars
for investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, as well as financial
support to women in need. The act has been reauthorized several times, most recently in
2013. Each time Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, it expanded
the protections under the law with bipartisan support.
The Attorneys Generals’ letter notes that the COVID-19 pandemic makes reauthorizing
the act even more urgent, as measures to contain the virus can exacerbate isolation,
uncertainty, and economic instability, directly impacting victims of domestic violence.
“Violence against women has been a public health crisis for generations, and the COVID19 outbreak illustrates the urgent need to further strengthen protections for women under
federal law,” the letter states.
Domestic violence is also a threat to law enforcement, the letter notes. According to a
2017 report by the U.S. Department of Justice, 29 percent of the 133 line-of-duty deaths
responding to calls for service were related to domestic disputes.
The House bill expands the protections of the Violence Against Women Act by:
• Strengthening protections for Native women by expanding jurisdiction of tribal
courts over non-Native men who abuse Native women
• Codifying important protections for LGBTQ individuals
• Closing the “boyfriend loophole,” which allows certain abusive dating partners to
continue possessing firearms under federal law
“Reauthorization of (the Violence Against Women Act) will not end the scourge of gender
based violence, but it is an important step toward more fully addressing the tragic
epidemic,” the letter states. “The importance of urgent action is underscored by the
particular challenges faced by victims and survivors during the COVID-19 outbreak. We
urge you to move quickly to adopt the House-passed bill or the Senate companion
sponsored by Senator Feinstein. Women in our states are counting on it.”
Attorney General Balderas is joined in the letter by the attorneys general from California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, Washington, DC.