WOMEN HIGHLIGHTS  THE XXXX RECORD VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT XXXX Voted Against Reauthorizing The Violence Against Women Act. In February 2013, XXXX voted against passage of the bill that would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act for five years. The law, which expired in 2011, provides protections and assistance programs to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The bill would authorize funds for law enforcement training programs, prosecution and victim services. It would give American Indian tribal courts additional authority over non-tribal domestic violence offenders. It would make it illegal for victim services organizations that receive grant funding through the law to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. As amended, the bill also would extend through 2017 a law that provides protections and assistance programs to trafficking victims. It would allow underage sex-trafficking victims to receive assistance under grants provided to help children exposed to violence. The bill passed by a vote of 78-22 (D 53-0; R 23-22; I 2-0). [Vote 19, 2/12/13]  VAWA “Has Shielded Millions of Women From Abuse and Helped Reduce National Rates of Domestic Violence.” As reported by USA Today, “The 78-22 Senate vote to reauthorize the two-decade-old act that has shielded millions of women from abuse and helped reduce national rates of domestic violence turns the focus to the House, where Republican leaders are working to come up with their own version… The act provides grants to state and local authorities for legal assistance, transitional housing, law enforcement training, stalker databases and domestic violence hotlines. The Senate bill extends the act for five years and provides $659 million for VAWA programs, down 17 percent from the last reauthorization in 2005.” [USA Today, 2/12/13]  Politifact: Domestic Abuse Against Women Dropped 50 Percent Since Congress First Passed Violence Against Women Act. According to Politifact, “That’s a lot of scholarship and paper, sponsored, collected and analyzed by federal and independent researchers. And while the results don’t perfectly align, all agree that the incidence of domestic abuse has dropped by more than 50 percent since the Violence Against Women Act was passed in 1994.” [Politifact, 2/7/13] XXXX Missed the Vote To Strip Native American Tribes From Jurisdiction Over Non-Tribal Members That Commit Assaults Against Native Americans. In February 2013, XXXX missed the vote for the Coburn, R-Okla., amendment no. 13, that would strike language to give American Indian tribal courts additional authority to prosecute non-tribal members who commit domestic violence offenses, including restraining order violations, on tribal lands. The amendment was rejected by a vote of 31-59 (D 0-53; R 31-4; I 0-2). [Vote 14, 2/11/13] April 2012: XXXX Voted Against Reauthorizing Violence Against Women Act. In April 2012, XXXX voted against passage of the bill that would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act for five years. It would provide for a special category of temporary visas for immigrant women who have been victims of domestic violence. It also would ban organizations that receive federal grants from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill would provide new authorities to tribal courts for enforcing restraining orders. It would add the terms "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" to existing provisions that condition grant money for victim services organizations on their compliance with non-discrimination practices. The measure was passed by a vote of 68-31 (D 51-0; R 15-31; I 2-0). [Vote 87, 4/26/12]  XXXX Voted For Watered Down Republican Substitute Of VAWA Reauthorization. In April 2012, XXXX voted in favor of Hutchison, R-Texas, substitute amendment no. 2095 that would reauthorize the 324