Republicans strip transgender protections from Violence Against Women Act
February 23, 2013
By: J. Skyler Robinson
http://www.examiner.com/article/republicans-strip-transgender-protections-from-violence-against-women-actRepublicans in the House of Representatives Friday introduced a modified version of the Violence Against Women Act that strips the bill of its express protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity, which would enable states to exclude lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual women from receiving benefits under the grant. The House version of the VAWA also modifies language concerning Native American women, adjusting the capability of tribal authority to prosecute perpetrators of domestic violence on reservations. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has denounced the bill, which is radically different from the all-inclusive version that passed the Senate last week with bipartisan support.
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Filed: Saturday, February 23, 2013
House GOP to strip protections for gays in its version of anti-violence act
By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/02/u-s-house-to-strip-protections-for-gays-in-its-version-of-anti-violence-act/WASHINGTON — The House and Senate appeared headed for another partisan battle as the House prepared to take up its version of the once-noncontroversial Violence Against Women Act.
The Republican-crafted House bill to renew the popular 1994 act, which expired in 2011, was introduced Friday to instant criticism from Senate Democrats, who said it fell short in fulfilling the law's mission of protecting women from domestic violence.
The office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., defended the bill, saying Cantor was committed to reauthorizing the law and had worked hard to build consensus between the two parties and with advocacy groups.
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House GOP Unveils Competing Violence Against Women Act
Sahil Kapur February 22, 2013, 3:10 PM 5961
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/02/house-republicans-vawa.phpHouse Republicans released their version of the Violence Against Women Act on Friday and are poised to fast-track it to a floor vote next Tuesday during a Rules Committee hearing.
The House GOP's legislation doesn't go as far as the reauthorization that passed the Senate on an overwhelming bipartisan vote earlier this month. It reflects some movement in that direction but falls short of a breakthrough on the central disputes that scuttled reauthorization of VAWA last year, namely, coverage for gay, Native American and illegal immigrant women. Democrats quickly rejected the bill and advocates against domestic violence expressed concerns with it.
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Unlike the Senate-passed version, the House GOP's proposed legislation does not explicitly guarantee equal coverage for gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence, and it would create a hurdle for tribal courts to prosecute non-Native Americans charged with assaulting women on tribal lands. It also includes stricter criteria for abused illegal immigrants to gain legal status.
