WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate passed a domestic violence prevention bill Tuesday after it languished last session, and sponsors of the bill are looking to pressure House Republicans to bring it up and pass it quickly.
The Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act 78-22 with support from both Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, each of whom had a few provisions attached to the legislation. The bill reauthorizes a 1994 law protecting and helping women facing domestic violence, which was originally shepherded through Congress by then-Sen. Joe Biden, aided in part by Sen. Paul Wellstone.
Congress should have extended the law last year, but it stalled after House Republicans objected to Senate provisions extending the law to gays and lesbians and allowing Native American women to take American citizens accused of abusing them to tribal court (More details are here). House Republicans passed their own version of VAWA but the two chambers never reconciled the legislation.
The Native American provision is especially controversial, but a group of Senators said Tuesday they see an opening to push the bill through the House. This week, a group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to leadership asking them to quickly take up the bill.
“This has never been a partisan reauthorization. From the very beginning, it was never a partisan issue,” Klobuchar said. “It should not be a partisan issue now. When our police officers go up to the door, they don’t ask if the victims are immigrants or if they’re American Indian or if they’re gay. They just do their job. And now it is time for the House of Representatives to do their job.”
Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com.