(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement in opposition to H.R. 1620, the Democrats’ bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
Rep. LaMalfa said: “This outrageously partisan bill contains numerous issues that would end up harming women rather than protecting them. The most glaring example is it would force women’s shelters to accept men who claim to be women or lose federal grant funding. This puts women who are fleeing abusive and dangerous situations in harm’s way rather than offering protection. California already has an example, at a shelter for homeless women in Fresno a transgender man sexually harassed nine women. I urge Democrats to stop playing politics with programs that protect women and instead pass a reauthorization focused on helping women and children escape violence.”
Rep. LaMalfa is a cosponsor of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s (NY-21) bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Woman Act (H.R. 1892), which would keep important funding available to fight domestic violence and sexual abuse while Congress works on a long-term reauthorization. Even though authorization lapsed in 2018, Congress has continued funding VAWA grant programs. For fiscal year 2021, funding levels for VAWA’s 19 grant programs were nearly $580 million.
Additional harmful provisions of the Democrat’s H.R. 1620 include:
- Promotes unproven methods of victim treatment that could force a victim to confront her abuser
- Restricts the tools available to prosecute domestic violence cases
- Infringes upon 2nd Amendment rights without due process
- Fails to provide exemptions for religious organizations who run shelters and legal aid centers
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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