Officers Chair Judith L.

Lichtman National Partnership for Women & Families Secretary Barry Rand AARP Treasurer Lee A. Saunders American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Executive Committee Debo P. Adegbile NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Barbara Arnwine Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Arlene Holt Baker AFL-CIO Warren David American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Marcia D. Greenberger National Women's Law Center Chad Griffin Human Rights Campaign Linda D. Hallman American Association of University Women Mary Kay Henry Service Employees International Union Benjamin Jealous NAACP Michael B. Keegan People for the American Way Bob King International Union, United Automobile Workers of America Elisabeth MacNamara League of Women Voters of the United States Marc Morial National Urban League Mee Moua Asian American Justice Center Janet Murgua National Council of La Raza Debra Ness National Partnership for Women & Families Priscilla Ouchida Japanese American Citizens League Terry ONeill National Organization for Women Jacqueline Johnson Pata National Congress of American Indians Mark Perriello American Association of People with Disabilities Dennis Van Roekel National Education Association Anthony Romero American Civil Liberties Union David Saperstein Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Shanna Smith National Fair Housing Alliance Thomas A. Saenz Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund Randi Weingarten American Federation of Teachers AFL-CIO Interim Compliance/Enforcement Committee Chair Karen K. Narasaki President & CEO Wade J. Henderson Executive Vice President & COO Karen McGill Lawson

February 4, 2013

VOTE YES on S. 47 Support S.47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, and Oppose All Amendments

Dear Senator: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 210 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, we urge you to support S.47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA), and to vote against any amendments that would weaken this important legislation, including any amendments to impose mandatory minimum sentences for aggravated sexual abuse. The Leadership Conference believes that the reauthorization of VAWA is critical for protecting the civil and human rights of American women to be free from domestic violence. These protections are especially important for women of color and Native American women, who experience the highest rates of domestic violence and sexual assault. Further, it is essential that these protections be extended to all instances of intimate partner violence, including for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. In short, S. 47 would strengthen our nations ability to prosecute perpetrators of violence and provide protections to all victims. While domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking occur in all parts of the nation and affect people of all backgrounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these forms of violence and harassment disproportionately affect the communities represented by The Leadership Conference. For example, 37 percent of Hispanic women are victims; 43 percent of African-American women and 38 percent of African-American men are victims; and a staggering 46 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native women and 45 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native men experience intimate-partner victimization.1 VAWA-funded programs have dramatically improved the national response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The annual incidence of domestic violence has decreased by more than 53 percent since VAWA became law in 1994 and reporting by victims has also increased by 51 percent. Not

http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

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only do these comprehensive programs save lives, they also save money. In its first six years, VAWA saved $12.6 billion in net averted social costs. Yet, as law enforcement officers, service providers, and health care professionals have acknowledged, even with the successes of the current VAWA programs, there are significant gaps in current VAWA programs which, if addressed, could have a significant impact on diminishing the incidences of domestic violence in the United States. S.47 helps address these concerns by strengthening services for minority communities and expanding protections for underserved communities to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Further, S.47 addresses the crisis of violence against women in tribal communities by strengthening legal protections for Native victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. S.47 also includes important improvements to VAWA protections for immigrant victims. In addition, the bill provides new tools and training to prevent domestic violence homicides. VAWA has provided for a coordinated approach, improving collaboration between law enforcement and victim services providers and supporting community-based responses and direct services for victims. As a result, victims needs have been better met, perpetrators have been held accountable, communities have become safer, and progress has been made toward breaking the cycle and culture of violence within families. Without question, VAWA reauthorization is the key to ensuring that victims and survivors of violence have continued access to these critical services. We look forward to working with you to swiftly adopt, without any weakening amendments S.47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, and continue a strong federal response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact June Zeitlin at 202-263-2852 or [email protected].

9to5 AFL-CIO AIDS United Alaska Federation of Natives American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Anti-Defamation League Asian American Justice Center, Member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice Association of Flight Attendants - CWA

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Association of Jewish Family & Childrens Agencies Center for Women's Global Leadership Center for Women Policy Studies CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers Coalition on Human Needs Communications Workers of America Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) Disciples Home Missions & Family and Children's Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Family Equality Council Friends Committee on National Legislation Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) GetEQUAL GlobalSolutions.org Hip Hop Caucus Human Rights Campaign Institute for Science and Human Values, Inc. International Center for Research on Women Jewish Council for Public Affairs Jewish Women International LatinoJustice PRLDEF The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Log Cabin Republicans Maryknoll Sisters NAACP National Association of Human Rights Workers (NAHRW) National Association of Social Workers National Bar Association National Black Justice Coalition National Center for Lesbian Rights National Center for Transgender Equality National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development National Community Reinvestment Coalition National Congress of American Indians National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) National Council on Independent Living National Education Association National Employment Law Project National Fair Housing Alliance National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund National Health Law Program National Immigration Law Center National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

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National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty National Legal Aid and Defender Association National Low Income Housing Coalition National Partnership for Women & Families National Urban League National Womens Law Center People For the American Way Planned Parenthood Federation of America Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Refugee Womens Network Sealaska Heritage Institute The Sentencing Project Southern Poverty Law Center Transgender Law Center Union for Reform Judaism United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) US National Committee for UN Women Women of Reform Judaism Womens Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, U.S. Section The Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance