Congress Must Reauthorize VAWA
by Laura Finley
711 words
That the U.S. is divided on political issues is old news. Both the Left and the Right are deeply entrenched, resulting in distrust, animosity, and political gridlock. One troubling example is with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization of 2018. Sadly, it isn’t the first time that Republicans have attempted to block VAWA, literally using women’s lives as a bartering tool.
The original VAWA was introduced by Senator Joe Biden in 1990. It took four years before VAWA passed Congress with bipartisan support and was signed by President Bill Clinton. This is in large part due to a provision that allowed victims the private civil rights remedy of suing their attackers. Chief Justice William Rehnquist was a vocal opponent, asserting that the provision would bring so many cases before the courts it would overwhelm them, and the Supreme Court declared that portion of VAWA to be unconstitutional in 2000. Interestingly, the Court said that Congress did not have the right to enforce the civil remedy under the Commerce Clause because domestic violence is not “economic” in nature, despite evidence that it costs taxpayers between $5-10 billion a year in healthcare and law enforcement costs, lost productivity, and more. Yet the other provisions remained, and VAWA has helped hundreds of thousands of victims. It provides funds for training law enforcement, court officials, victim advocates and healthcare professionals.
VAWA was reauthorized again in 2000 and 2005. The 2000 version improved provisions for immigrant victims, victims of sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence. The 2005 reauthorization extended benefits to underserved populations and prohibited requirements that sexual assault victims take polygraph tests before an investigation into their reports ensues. The 2012 renewal was also contentious, as conservatives opposed extending VAWA’s provisions to same-sex couples. Great debate also surrounded extending the protections of VAWA to Native American women, as this brought up the typical jurisdictional battle that occurs with crime-related topics on tribal lands. Further, conservatives opposed extending VAWA’s provisions to undocumented immigrant victims through the U Visa program. After expiring with the adjournment of the 112thCongress, VAWA was again reauthorized with all of the contentious provisions included in 2013.
The latest reauthorization was originally scheduled to occur by September 30 but has been extended to December 7 and December 21. It is temporarily reauthorized, but as of now, it appears Republicans intend to block the reauthorization before the year’s end, and out of 173 co-sponsors of the bill proposed by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), none are Republicans. In all likelihood, the influx of women who were elected in the 2018 midterms in January 2019 would result in VAWA being reconsidered, but it is horrifying to see that once again there’s even debate about supporting resources for victims. While no federal legislation is perfect, and VAWA can be legitimately critiqued for focusing too much on criminal justice and less on root causes of abuse, the 2018 reauthorization is still important. Jackson Lee’s bill increases funding for sexual assault centers and expands the law related to removing guns from convicted abusers.
We should all implore Congress to act on the reauthorization of VAWA. As it becomes clearer that, according to a new study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the least safe place for women globally is in the home, it is essential that our politicians take seriously the issues of domestic and sexual violence and not let political division disrupt these much-needed services.
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Laura Finley, Ph.D., syndicated by PeaceVoice,teaches in the Barry University Department of Sociology & Criminology.
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For Women and Their Finances,
A Man Is Not A Plan
In generations past, many women thought they didn’t need a financial plan. They relied on their husbands to handle that responsibility.
But from a financial planning perspective, that was a bad idea – both then and now. As a demographic, women have always outlived men so they were destined to manage their finances at some point in their lives. This might happen when they got out of school, before they got married, after a divorce, after their spouse died, or a combination of these situations.
“A man is not a plan,” says Kathy Longo, a financial professional and author of Flourish Financially – Values, Transitions, and Big Conversations (www.flourishwealthmanagement.com).
“Statistics show that all women are going to have to take the reins of their finances at some point in their lives – it has never been something that they should just hand over to their husband.”
Longo says women should build their financial confidence by:
Understanding spending. All spending can be divided into two categories – critical spending and “nice-to-have” spending, Longo says. “Critical or necessary spending includes everything you need to live, not everything you want to have,” she says. “Nice-to-haves aren’t necessary for day-to-day living. Understanding the difference between these two expenses will help you budget and know which expenses to cut back on, especially if you have a financial setback.”
Understanding debt. There is good debt and there is bad debt. “Good debt facilitates a goal such as a mortgage to buy a house or student loans to further one’s career,” Longo says. “Bad debt includes any debt with a high-interest rate such as credit card debt for things you don’t really need.” She says it’s important to beware of bad-debt purchases and have a plan to pay off debt as soon as possible.
Building an emergency fund. You can’t control when an emergency hits, but you can control being financially prepared for emergencies, Longo says. “Ideally you should have 3 to 6 months of living expenses stored away as your emergency fund. This can be overwhelming, so start working toward saving one or two paychecks for an emergency fund and go from there.” This can help you through one of life’s inevitable surprises.
Saving early. The earlier you begin creating and executing a savings plan, the more money you will have when you need it. “It is not just that you are building savings, but you are also getting growth on that money,” Longo says. “The sooner you can build a habit to “pay yourself first” the sooner you will see that savings balance grow which create possibilities for the future.
Gain confidence around your finances. It is never too late to take control of your finances and your life regardless of your sex. “But women, in particular, need to understand that the sooner they grasp their true financial picture,” she says, “the sooner they can start managing their finances to create the future they want.” It is much better to take an active role and interest in your finances than to wait for a transition such as divorce, inheritance, or being widowed. Focusing on the goals and possibilities your investments bring may be more comfortable than thinking about the dollars and cents, and equally effective.
About Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®), CDFA
Kathy Longo, author of Flourish Financially – Values, Transitions and Big Conversations, is founder and president of Flourish Wealth Management (www.flourishwealthmanagement.com). For more than 25 years, she has served her clients with extensive knowledge and wisdom as a wealth manager, financial planner, firm manager and business owner. Her many awards include being named one of the top 50 Women in Wealth Management by Wealth Manager Magazine. She has been a wealth manager for 25 years and has held wealth management positions at such firms as Accredited Investors, Family Financial Strategies, American Express Trust Company, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and CCP Financial Planning. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children.
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Park City Physician Assistant Returns Home after Providing Medical Support During George H.W. Bush State Funeral in Washington, DC
A physician assistant from Park City, Utah, Billi Tsuya, is back home from Washington, DC, after providing medical support during the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush. Ms. Tsuya serves as a member of the National Disaster Medical System’s (NDMS) Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).
During the time the public pays their respects, NDMS personnel along with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers stand ready to provide advanced life support and basic medical care to the thousands of people from around the nation attending the event.
NDMS is a federally administered program that can support communities with medical care, veterinarian care, and mortuary assistance during disasters or public health emergencies. NDMS is among the resources made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). They also work behind the scenes at some of our nation’s biggest events, often at the request of the Office of the Attending Physician and the U.S. Capitol Police.
“Typically at events like this we see people who have minor cuts or sprains or other non-life threatening injuries/illness, such as dehydration or hypothermia” explains Ron Miller, acting director of ASPR’s NDMS. “However, we also have provided initial life-saving care for more serious injuries or illnesses and stabilized patients for transportation by DC Fire/EMS to a local hospital.”
NDMS teams consist of physicians, nurses, paramedics, fatality management professionals, and experienced command and control staff. There are more than 6,000 team members organized in to 70 response teams. Providing medical care during emergencies and special events, such as the George H.W. Bush State Funeral, can overwhelm local and state resources. ASPR looks to the expertise within NDMS and USPHS from across the country to assist in the response.
The former president’s body laid in state in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, from 7:30 pm on Monday, December 3 through 7:00 am on Wednesday, December 5 (round the clock). On Wednesday, December 5, a public funeral service was held at Washington National Cathedral. In Houston, a private funeral service was planned for Thursday, December 6, before he was laid to rest in College Station alongside his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, who died earlier this year, and their daughter Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3.
As part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ASPR’s mission is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats. ASPR leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies. During a special event, ASPR stands ready to serve in case of an emergency. For more information about federal medical response and NDMS, visit www.phe.gov.
