The Senate's bipartisan bill to reauthorize VAWA, S. 47, will be considered TODAY, February 4th and up for a vote on Thursday, February 7th. 

 

S. 47 now has 60 co-sponsors, which should guarantee VAWA's passage in the Senate. However, there is a possibility that amendments could be introduced on the floor next week that would attach non-germane provisions to VAWA and could slow down forward movement on the bill.

 

Senators Boxer and Feinstein have been longstanding champions of VAWA, and they now need to hear from you about the importance of opposing any amendments to the bill. Please call Senators Boxer and Feinstein TODAY and urge them to vote yes on S. 47, without amendments!

 

Please make two calls to the Capitol switchboard at 888.269.5702 and ask the operator to connect you to Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein's offices. When you're connected to their offices, tell the person who answers the phone:

1. I am a constituent from (city and state) and my name is _________.
2. I urge Senator____ to vote yes on S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act - and to oppose any amendments that are introduced.
3. Thank you and I look forward to hearing that the Senator has voted for VAWA.

We are optimistic that a strong bill will be passed out of the Senate -- then we can turn our attention to the House and to getting a final VAWA that safely and effectively protects all victims!

 

Don't forget to join our Advocacy in Action Conference Call next week! On the call, you will learn how you can become involved in our statewide campaign and discover what it means to be a leader in policy advocacy.

 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013  

 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST    

 RSVP      

                                                         

Wednesday February 13, 2013

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM PST (repeat session) 

RSVP                                                                           

 

Click here to take action today and make your commitment to participate in our Statewide Week of Advocacy!  

Legislative Update

This year's legislative session is off and running, and already two of the Partnership's priority bills have been introduced! AB 16, by Speaker Perez, seeks to close the current loopholes in the felony domestic violence statute. AB 139, by Assemblymember Holden, will address the audit findings related to the DV Probationer Fee. 2013 Policy Priorities 

 

Additionally, the Public Policy & Research Committees are reviewing the relevant DV bills to inform the Partnership's positions. Thank you to all of our members willing to spend some of your time on this important work! If you are interested in joining your regional PPRC, please email Krista Niemczyk at Krista@cpedv.org.

Request for Case Examples

Some of the most effective tools for our advocacy efforts are the examples you can provide for how our priorities directly impact the survivors whom you serve. Please take a few moments to complete this short survey and provide case examples of survivors who have been directly impacted by the issues we are addressing through our policy priorities. Take survey. 

In addition to engaging on pending legislation, the Partnership has several Public Policy & Research Subcommittees focused on specific policy areas. Consider joining one or more subcommittees to share your expertise and issue-specific knowledge. 

 

Court Access & Language Access for Victims 

This newly-formed subcommittee will address issues around court access in the face of current court closures and other budget cuts. In addition, this subcommittee will address language access for survivors both in the courts and as part of criminal justice response.

 

Federal Policy 

This new subcommittee will focus on the federal policy areas that directly impact domestic violence programs and survivors. The Federal Policy Subcommittee will focus on annual federal funding, VAWA, VOCA, FVPSA, and other relevant federal policy areas.

 

Funding 

The Funding Sub-Committee  works to develop and support funding proposal(s) that will sustain and enhance public and private funding and resources for domestic violence prevention and response.

 

Recognizing that there is an overwhelming number of victims of violence who are faced with immigration issues, the Immigration & Domestic Violence Sub-Committee takes action on issues that may affect this group of survivors. 
 

Teen Dating Violence (TDV)

The Teen Dating Violence Sub-Committee advocates for policies and institutional practices to promote healthy relationships and prevent TDV.

 

To sign up, or for more information about the subcommittees, please email Krista Niemczyk at Krista@cpedv.org.  

The Partnership convened a call in December to begin exploring the issues of worker's compensation classification codes and rates, and to discuss possible solutions. We are still exploring the issues and will host further calls on this topic. You can download the notes from the December call here.  Stay tuned for more information about upcoming calls.

Last month, the Partnership presented its 2013 Policy Priorities at the Women's Policy Summit as part of a panel on domestic violence and sexual assault.  The summit brought together more than 500 California leaders who convened to focus on public policy matters affecting women and girls in California. The event also featured an inspiring keynote address by Sheila Kuehl.  You can find all of the policy recommendations, including those on domestic violence and sexual assault, by clicking here.