Rep. Ruiz Joins House in Passing Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON, DC --- U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Palm Desert) today voted in favor of the bipartisan Senate-passed version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The bill, which passed the House by a margin of 286-138, will now go to the President’s desk for signature.
“No woman should ever have to suffer domestic abuse,” said Rep. Ruiz. “The passage of this critical legislation is a victory for women in the 36th District and across the country, and I was proud to stand with a bipartisan majority of my colleagues to reauthorize this landmark law. The bill we passed today will ensure that all victims of domestic and sexual abuse, regardless of their background, are given the protections they deserve and have access to the resources they need to seek justice.”
In addition to voting in support of the bipartisan Senate-passed version of VAWA today, Rep. Ruiz joined the House in voting down a weaker House GOP version of the bill that excluded protections for Native American, immigrant, and LGBT women. The reauthorization bill the House passed provides stronger protections for all women and strengthens the ability of the Federal Government, the States, law enforcement, and service providers to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Yesterday, during his first speech on the House floor as a U.S. Representative, Rep. Ruiz urged passage of a strong, comprehensive version of VAWA and spoke out against the weaker House GOP version of the bill. A clip of that video is available here and the remarks as prepared for delivery are below.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE RAUL RUIZ
FLOOR STATEMENT
S.47 – Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013
· Thank You Mr. Speaker.
· I would like to thank the Senate for working in a bipartisan manner to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. However, the House Republican version of the bill fails to protect all women, including Native American women, immigrant women and the LGBT community.
· I rise today in strong opposition to the House Republican version of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. As an ER doctor I have seen firsthand the beaten and bruised bodies of women and the invisible scars left on the victim, her family and community.
· Native American women in my district and across the country endure an epidemic of domestic violence and in most cases the abusers are not members of the tribe. Tribes must have the right to protect their daughters, sisters and mothers from violence.
· We must work to make sure that all women are protected from domestic violence.
· I urge all of my colleagues to join me in opposition to the House Republican version of this legislation and I look forward to the passage of the bipartisan Senate version of this legislation.