{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.schatz.senate.gov/schatz-senators-introduce-violence-against-women-act", "Schatz, Senators Introduce Violence Against Women Act", "2019-11-13", "2019", "2019-11", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Schatz, Senators Introduce Violence Against Women Act \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Hawaii Programs Received More Than $2 Million From VAWA This Year \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 13, 2019\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \r\nToday, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)\r\nintroduced the Senate companion to the House-passed Violence Against Women Act.\r\n  For 25\r\nyears, VAWA has provided support, shelter, and a new chance at life for women\r\nand children in Hawaii and across the country, said Senator Schatz.\r\nThis bill will strengthen vital services, improve prevention programs, and\r\nincrease housing and financial assistance for survivors  ensuring that more\r\nAmericans can live free from violence and abuse.  The bill, which\r\nwould reauthorize VAWA through 2024, preserves advancements made in previous\r\nreauthorizations and includes a number of additional improvements to the\r\ncurrent law. This legislation was cosponsored by every member of the Senate\r\nDemocratic Caucus.   Key provisions\r\nin the bill:  \r\nProtects Native American women by improving\r\ntribal access to federal crime information databases and reaffirming tribal\r\ncriminal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence, sexual\r\nassault, dating violence, and stalking for all federally recognized Indian\r\ntribes and Alaskan Natives.  \r\nExplicitly states that grant recipients are\r\nallowed to train staff and others on identifying and stopping discrimination\r\nagainst LGBT individuals. Service providers currently remain uncertain about\r\nwhether they can use grants to train for this.   \r\nReauthorizes and updates the SMART Prevention\r\nProgram to reduce dating violence, help children who have been exposed to\r\nviolence, and engage men in preventing violence.  \r\nExpands grants under the Public Health Service Act\r\nto support implementation of training programs to improve the capacity of early\r\nchildhood programs to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual\r\nassault, and stalking among the families they serve.  \r\nProvides services, protection, and justice for\r\nyoung victims of violence, including extending the Rape Prevention and\r\nEducation grant program, addressing bullying of young people, improving grants\r\nfocused on prevention education for students, and expanding relevant training\r\nfor school-based and campus health centers.  \r\nPreserves and expands housing protections for\r\nsurvivors.  \r\nProvides economic security assistance for\r\nsurvivors by reauthorizing the National Resource Center on Workplace Responses.\r\nProtects employees from being fired because they are survivors of sexual\r\nassault or domestic violence and protects survivors' eligibility to receive\r\nunemployment insurance.  \r\nEnhances judicial and law enforcement tools\r\nthrough reauthorization of the Justice Department's STOP Violence Against Women\r\nFormula Program, known as the STOP Program. Authorizes the use of STOP Program\r\ngrants to expand the use of grant funding for programs focused on increasing\r\nsurvivor, law enforcement and community safety; increases legal assistance for\r\ndependent children in appropriate circumstances; and develops and enforces\r\nfirearm surrender policies.  \r\nProtects the Justice Department's Office on\r\nViolence Against Women from being merged or consolidated into any other Justice\r\nDepartment office.  \r\nHelps prevent intimate partner homicides by\r\nincluding provisions expanding firearms laws to prohibit persons convicted of\r\ndating violence from possessing firearms, prohibiting persons convicted of\r\nmisdemeanor stalking from possessing firearms, and prohibiting individuals\r\nsubject to ex parte protective orders from possessing firearms.  ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.schatz.senate.gov/schatz-senators-introduce-violence-against-women-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1262372136116028, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}