2013: Schweikert Voted Against A Reauthorization Of The Violence Against Women Act That Included Protections For Immigrants, LGBT Populations And Native Americans. In February 2013, Schweikert voted against the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which, according to Politico, "include[d] protections for illegal [undocumented] immigrants, Native Americans and people in same-sex relationships." According to The Washington Post, "First authorized in 1994, the bill provides $660 million over the next five years for programs that provide legal assistance, transitional housing, counseling and support hotlines to victims of rape and domestic abuse." The House passed the measure, which had already passed the Senate, by a vote of 286 to 138. The president signed the bill into law on March 7, 2013. [House Vote 55, 2/28/13; Politico, 3/7/13; The Washington Post, 3/7/13; Public Law 113-4, 3/7/13; Congressional Actions, S. 47]
House GOP Permitted Vote On The Senate's VAWA Reauthorization Bill After A Republican Substitute Version Of The Bill Was Rejected; Doing So Allowed Members To Vote For VAWA But Not For The Senate's Version. According to Politico, "The Violence Against Women Act is finally headed to President Barack Obama's desk for his signature. The House voted Thursday to accept the bipartisan Senate bill, 286-138. Eighty-seven Republicans joined 199 Democrats to support the bill. No Democrats opposed it. After months of delay, GOP leaders allowed the bill to come to the floor only after a Republican substitute version of the legislation --- set up as an amendment to the Senate's bipartisan bill --- failed, 166-257. The House amendment was expected to fail, but allowed members to vote for a version of VAWA while not supporting the Senate bill." [Politico, 2/28/13]
Boehner Broke The "Hastert Rule" By Bringing Senate's Version of VAWA Reauthorization Up For A Vote; 138 House Republicans, A Majority, Voted Against The Measure. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The Senate passed the bill Feb. 12, 2013, in a 78-22 vote, with all 22 'no' votes coming from male Republicans. Meanwhile, every female senator voted for the bill. Despite objections from some Republicans about the immigrant and tribal courts provisions, the House passed the Senate version of the legislation on Feb. 28, 2013, by 286-138. All of the 138 'no' votes were from Republicans, meaning that Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, had to break the so-called 'Hastert rule' by relying on Democratic votes to pass the measure." [Congressional Quarterly, 5/6/13]
VAWA Included New Language That Specifically Allocated Funds To Providing Domestic Violence Resources For LGBT Americans. According to CNN, "Ty Cobb, the senior legislative counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, said the new language explicitly includes the LGBT community in the largest Violence Against Women Act grant program, the STOP grant program. Previously, there was no grant money specifically allocated to providing domestic violence services and outreach for the LGBT population. 'This provides funding to care providers who collaborate with prosecution and law enforcement officials to address domestic violence,' Cobb said." [CNN, 3/14/13]
Before VAWA Expanded Protections, LGBT Domestic Violence Victims Were Underserved And Many Were Denied Services At Shelters Or Protective Orders In Court. According to CNN, "Human rights and domestic violence activists say LGBT people are an underserved population when it comes to victim services and outreach. According to a study by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 45% of LGBT victims were turned away when they sought assistance from a domestic violence shelter. Nearly 55% of those who filed for protection orders were denied them." [CNN, 3/14/13]
A 2010 Study Found That LGBT People Reported Higher Rates Of Intimate Partner Violence Compared To Heterosexual People. According to CNN, "A 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that the prevalence of intimate partner violence was higher in some LGBT relationships than in their heterosexual counterparts: 61% of bisexual women and 44% of lesbian women reported intimate partner violence versus 35% of heterosexual women. Meanwhile, 26% of gay men and 37% of bisexual men reported being assaulted or stalked by a partner, compared with 29% of heterosexual men. The special report of the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey was the first of its kind to present comparisons between groups by sexual orientation." [CNN, 3/14/13]
Opponents Of The Gender And Sexual Orientation Expansions In VAWA Argued That The Provisions' Advocates Were Seeking To Redefine Marriage And Undermine Differences Between Sexes. According to CNN, "Because of the new LGBT provisions, the law has been decried by anti-same-sex-marriage groups, including the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops. 'All persons must be protected from violence, but codifying the classifications 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' as contained in S. 47 is problematic,' the bishops said. 'These two classifications are unnecessary to establish the just protections due to all persons. They undermine the meaning and importance of sexual difference. They are unjustly exploited for purposes of marriage redefinition, and marriage is the only institution that unites a man and a woman with each other and with any children born from their union.'" [CNN, 3/14/13]