Three months ago, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act by a bipartisan vote of 68-31. The legislation that was passed incorporated important new protections, including bolstering campus safety and extending protections to our tribal, immigrant and LGBT communities. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives passed an ideological bill that not only excludes these at-risk populations but strips existing protections for vulnerable women. For weeks my colleagues and I have been urging the House to put ideology aside and pass the inclusive, bipartisan Senate-passed Violence Against Women Act. Every moment the House continues to delay is another moment vulnerable women are left without the resources and protections they deserve. These women should not be made to wait.
Now I need your help. It’s time for Speaker Boehner to stand up against an ideology that would deny women protections from violence because of political reasons. Tell him it’s time to provide new protections to millions of women by passing the inclusive, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act. We’ve created a petition through Change.org, urging Speaker Boehner to pass VAWA.
Sign the petition. Share your story.
“Senate Democrats tell Speaker Boehner to adopt their domestic violence bill”
– The Hill
“House, Senate deadlock over anti-domestic violence bill” – Politico
Extending Middle Class Tax Cuts
Last week, I voted to pass the Democrats’ bill to extend tax cuts for 98% of workers and 97% of small business owners across America on a 51 to 48 vote. It is now up to House Republicans to stop holding the middle class hostage and fighting tooth and nail to protect tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. So I call on Speaker Boehner to not play political or procedural games and move immediately to extend the tax cuts for the middle class that passed the Senate last week. If Republicans continue their increasingly desperate games to protect millionaires and billionaires from paying a penny more in taxes, then families will understand very clearly who prevented the middle class tax cut bill that passed the Senate from being signed into law.
“Senate approves Democratic tax plan” – Politico
Comprehensive Veterans Legislation
Two weeks ago, I worked to help ensure passage of the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012. This bipartisan, bicameral, and comprehensive legislation combines provisions of the Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011 and Honoring American Veterans Act of 2011, as well as provisions from other Senate and House legislation. This comprehensive package extends health care to veterans and their families who lived at Camp Lejeune, expands critical health programs, improves housing programs, enhances programs for homeless veterans, and makes needed improvements to the disability claims system. This comprehensive legislation makes improvements to almost every aspect of care and services for veterans, and I am proud of the work my committee put into bringing this omnibus bill together. This bill will finally provide health care to veterans and family members exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, expand eligibility for housing adaptation grants to more seriously injured veterans, and make help for homeless veterans more widely available.
Read more about this critical legislation.
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