Posted on 02/28/2013 10:10:24 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
Washington (CNN) -- Struggling again with an issue important to women and minority groups, House Republicans on Thursday failed to pass their version of a new Violence Against Women Act and then split over a Senate version that won approval with unanimous Democratic support.
The votes reflected an emerging political reality in the GOP-led House, with a minority of Republicans joining Democrats to pass legislation supported by the public, including increasingly influential demographics such as Hispanic Americans.
By a vote of 166-257, the GOP version failed to win a majority after almost 90 minutes of debate. The House then voted 286-138 to pass the Senate version, with 87 Republicans joining all 199 Democrats to provide majority support.
Originally passed in 1994 and reauthorized since, the act provides support for organizations that serve domestic violence victims. Criminal prosecutions of abusers are generally the responsibility of local authorities, but the act stiffened sentences for stalking under federal law.
Supporters credit the act with sharply reducing the number of lives lost to domestic violence over the past two decades.
Last year, the House and Senate were unable to compromise on another extension of the act, with Republicans opposing Democratic attempts to specify inclusion of native Americans, undocumented immigrants and lesbian, transgender and bisexual women.
However, exit polling showed President Barack Obama won strong support among women and Latino voters in the November election that also strengthened the Democratic majority in the Senate and weakened the Republican majority in the House.
Republicans then changed their stance and agreed to bring up the measure in the new Congress as long as they could offer their own version.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Well, not yet.
Sounds good, does bad, right up Boehner's ally.
How/why is it back? Are liberals hoping for a do-over in the SCOTUS?
I agree with you. We don’t have a party.
We need to form a new one. One that is Conservative and wituout backstabbers.
Agreed. And have fun trying to defend yourself. Impossible.
Egalitarianism has consequences. One group will govern and take the benefits the other group will feel the whip. The law eternal.
That’s right. The most sinister aspect to this bill is that it makes abuse — including “verbal abuse” — against a woman or other protected minority a felony. Get convicted of a felony and you lose your 2nd Amendment rights.
This must be one of those gun control efforts that Obama once mentioned he had going on “under the radar.”
The House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Act, extending abuse protections to gay, lesbians, and transgender people, as well as Native Americans and immigrants.
The bill passed 286 to 138, with the support of 87 Republicans; it will now move to the president’s desk to be signed. A GOP substitute bill that left out protections for Native communities and LGBT people was defeated 166 to 257.
so laws already on the books never included women ,next it will be a law for every person by name ?
***
You clearly point out the ridiculousness of this type of legislation.
How about a bill that says it’s not okay to kill or maim anyone but a white, heterosexual male? Something tells me they would be okay with such a law.
I don’t see Randy Weber’s name on this list as voting against it. He is brand new House member who replaced Ron Paul. Would hope that he either wasn’t present for the vote or was just omitted in error from the last of those who voted NO.
Under this law, conceivably not being “friendly enough” with litigious women or gay men could be construed as prejudicial speech intended to cause emotional distress, simply by retaining the right to say “no”.
Oh, who am I kidding.
Wisdom that escapes most here.
” They’ll do anything to escape the phony “war on women” and “racism” tags.”
I agree, but this only proves that they’re idiots.
They’ve gained nothing - conservatives won’t trust them, and liberals won’t ever respect them.
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