S. 5 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 5 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 22 (legislative day, January 3), 2013 Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Brown, Mr. Tester, Mr. Coons, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Baucus, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Begich, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Casey, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lautenberg, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Levin, Mr. Rockefeller, and Mr. Heinrich) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. 1. Sense of the Senate It is the sense of the Senate that Congress should— (1) reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925 et seq.) (referred to in this section as VAWA), a landmark bipartisan bill that has dramatically improved the national response to domestic and sexual violence; (2) renew the commitment of the United States to providing the resources necessary to combat all forms of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, including important new initiatives to reduce homicides, increase the focus on preventing and responding to sexual assault, and make women on college campuses safer from domestic and sexual violence; (3) build upon the success of VAWA in transforming the criminal justice and community-based response to abuse by bolstering and streamlining the programs, grants, and coalitions created by VAWA and expanding the reach of VAWA to meet the remaining unmet needs of victims; (4) continue to provide the training, tools, and resources necessary for law enforcement officers and victim service providers to hold the perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence accountable and to keep victims safe; and (5) ensure that all victims of domestic and sexual violence, including Native American women, gay and lesbian victims, and battered immigrant women, receive the support and protections provided by VAWA.