The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), first passed by Congress in 1984, is the primary federal funding stream dedicated to the support of emergency shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic violence and their children. Unfortunately, FVPSA has not been reauthorized since 2010, but Senators Heller (R-NV), Casey (D-PA), Grassley (R-IA), Coons (D-DE), and Cornyn (R-TX) have introduced S.2784, in the Senate, and Representatives Thompson (R-PA), Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Stefanik (R-NY), and Moore (D-WI) have introduced H.R. 6014, in the House, the FVPSA Reauthorization Act. This critical straightforward reauthorization will help ensure that shelters and domestic violence programs can continue to keep survivors safe and provide essential services. Please ask your Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor this lifesaving legislation today!
Below are steps for finding your Members, talking points for encouraging them to co-sponsor FVPSA and urge swift passage of the bill, and background information.
Thank you so much for your work on behalf of survivors!
Please Call your Members as soon as possible!
· Find your House member: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
· Find your Senator: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
· You can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to be transferred to the appropriate offices.
· Please ask to speak with a staff person who deals with domestic violence. If they are unavailable, leave a voicemail.
Tell them:
· Domestic violence directly impacts one in four women and one in ten men over their lifetimes and approximately 15.5 million children every year. Violence and abuse is pervasive, costly, and can be deadly.
· The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is at the heart of our nation’s response to domestic violence.
· FVPSA was first passed into law in 1984 and was most recently reauthorized in 2010. It is currently expired and needs to be re-authorized.
· FVPSA supports life-saving services including emergency shelters, crisis hotlines, counseling, and programs for communities throughout the United States, including U.S. territories.
· SENATE: Please cosponsor S.2784, the bipartisan FVPSA Reauthorization Act introduced by Senators Heller (R-NV), Casey (D-PA), Grassley (R-IA), Coons (D-DE), and Cornyn (R-TX), and urge its swift passage.
· HOUSE: Please cosponsor H.R. 6014, the bipartisan FVPSA Reauthorization Act introduced by Representatives Thompson (R-PA), Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Stefanik (R-NY), and Moore (D-WI), and urge its swift passage.
Background:
· In addition to supporting local shelters and services, FVPSA provides funds to state domestic violence coalitions, tribes, national technical assistance and training programs, and a program dedicated to addressing the needs of children of domestic violence victims.
· There are approximately 2,000 community-based domestic violence programs for victims and their children in the U.S. They provide emergency shelter to approximately 1.3 million victims and offer services such as counseling, crisis lines, safety planning, legal assistance, and preventative education to millions of adults and children annually.
· A multi-state study published in 2009 shows conclusively that the nation’s domestic violence shelters successfully address both urgent and long-term needs of victims of violence and help victims protect themselves and their children from further abuse.
Please contact Marium Durrani (mdurrani@nnedv.org) if you have any questions.