Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) announced Senate passage of the fiscal year 2012 CJS spending bill, which includes $418 million in funding for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women. This funding will support programs authorized under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which Chairwoman Mikulski helped pass into law.
“Even in a spending bill that has less to spend, I want to make sure that we continue investing in programs to combat domestic abuse, dating violence and sexual assault, protect women, families and our communities, and help rebuild lives,” Chairwoman Mikulski said.
“No woman in this country should live in fear that her husband or boyfriend will hurt or kill her or her kids,” Chairwoman Mikulski said. “I have zero tolerance for domestic violence. That’s why I strongly support legislation and grant programs that help protect women and their families from continued abuse, particularly during economically distressed times when abuse is more common,” Chairwoman Mikulski continued.
Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are crimes of epidemic proportions, exacting terrible costs on individual lives and our communities. Twenty-five percent of U.S. women report that they have been physically assaulted by an intimate partner during their lifetimes, 1 in 6 have been the victims of attempted or completed rape, and the cost of domestic violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year.
The CJS spending bill funds multiple competitive and formula grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors; state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions; rape prevention programs; national domestic violence hotlines; battered women’s shelters and transitional housing support services; help for teens and young adults caught in abusive relationships; victims of child abuse; and funding for counselors of rape victims during trials.
In the next step of the appropriations process, the House and Senate will work out the differences between their versions of the bill, which will then be approved a final time by both legislative bodies before being signed into law. For more information on the CJS spending bill, go here.