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This week in Congress, my colleagues and I debated and passed H.R.
3402, the Justice Department Authorization Bill. This bill authorizes
$95 billion for most Department of Justice programs through Fiscal Year
2009.
This is the first comprehensive reauthorization of the Department of
Justice since 1982. Within this legislation, there are many programs
instrumental to the safety and well being of hard working men, women, and
American families throughout our nation including the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Federal Prison System, the Drug Enforcement Agency,
and the Violence Against Women Act.
The Violence Against Women Act is landmark legislation first signed
into law in 1994, aiming to curtail crimes often primarily directed toward
women such as stalking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. This
legislation paved the way for women to not only leave mentally and physically
abusive relationships, but also led to the development of programs designed
to provide support for women who were victims of such crimes. The
Violence Against Women’s Act is the backbone in this nation’s effort to
end domestic violence and sexual assault and the Justice Department Authorization
renews vital programs which keep our women and children out of harm’s way
and were set to expire this year.
Additionally, the Justice Department Authorization modernizes this Act
by including electronic communications into the definition of stalking
in an effort to address the increasing occurrence of “cyberstalking,” which
has become a prominent concern with the advancement and widespread use
of the internet. H.R. 3402 also authorizes $20 million per year for
a program entitled Safe Havens which addresses the domestic violence and
sexual assault of children and teenagers.
Many important law enforcement programs that keep our neighborhoods
and communities safe were reauthorized. Programs such as Community
Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and Weed and Seed, which ensure that
our children, neighborhoods, and communities are safe, received authorization
for important funding.
As your Representative in the United States Congress, it is my duty
as a public servant to ensure that our children, working families, and
seniors are safe from harm and that the communities across the nation have
the resources to serve, protect, and improve the quality of life for all
Americans. |
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