VAWA Reauthorization 2012
The 112th Congress failed to reauthorize VAWA in 2012, but fortunately, a bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 47) was reintroduced in the Senate on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID). Below are resources that the National Latin@ Network contributed to as part of our efforts to promote a version of VAWA in 2012 that would protect ALL survivors, including immigrant women. To learn more about the current status of VAWA reuthorzation, please visit our VAWA Reauthorization 2013 page.
Background
VAWA was reintroduced in the Introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Crapo (R-ID) on November 30, 2011, Senate Bill S.1925 passed on April 26, 2012 on a vote of 68-31. This bill kept all existing protections for immigrant victims in place and improves upon them. On April 27, 2012 Representative Sandy Adams (R-FL) introduced the House of Representative’s version of a VAWA reauthorization bill, H.R.4970. On May 16, 2012 H.R. 4970 passed the House by a narrow margin of 222-205.
H.R. 4970 would undermine years of bipartisan progress of advancing protections for immigrant victims. Some of H.R. 4970’s provisions would actually make immigrants more vulnerable and could endanger their lives with provisions that:
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Create bureaucratic and burdensome requirements that will weaken protections for victims and delay access to safety under the VAWA self-petition process;
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Impose arbitrary and unreasonable barriers for crime victims to apply for a U visa; and
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Place victims on a path from report to deport and discourage victims of crime from cooperating with law enforcement by denying access to lawful permanent resident status to many victims, which in many cases could result in separating abused mothers from their American-born children.
Archived Resources from VAWA Reauthorion 2012
Click here to learn about Myths and Facts about VAWA Reauthorization 2012 (pdf)
Click here to learn about the 2012 VAWA Reauthorization Related to Immigrant Provisions (pdf)
Bill
Introduced
Referred to Appropriate Committee
Subcommittee Review and Mark Up
Committee Review, mark up and vote on bill
Chamber Debates and Votes on Bill
How a Bill
Becomes a Law
In the Congress there are two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The two chambers use the same process for passing legislation, although there are differences in rules and jurisdiction. During the 111th Congress (2009 - 2010), 10,237 bills were introduced and 366 were enacted.
How to Use the Infographic
We have created an infographic to demonstrate the legislative process and illustrate all the steps that a bill must go through before it becomes a law. Each box represents a unique step in the process. If you move your cursor over the boxes, text appears in the middle of the page that provides additional information related to that step in the process.
A Bill is Introduced
- Anyone may draft a bill (representative, a state legislature, the people, the executive branch).
- Only members of congress in the House or Senate can introduce the bill (by doing so, they become the sponsors of the bill).
Referred to Appropriate Committee
- After the bill is introduced, it is referred to an appropriate committee.
- The bill is examined carefully and if the committee does not act on a bill, the bill becomes “dead”.
Subcommittee Review and Markup
- Often, bills are referred to subcommittees for study and hearings.
- Hearings provide the opportunity to record the views of the executive branch, public officials and supporters, experts, and opponents of the legislation.
- When hearings are completed, the subcommittee may meet to make changes and amendments. The subcommittee then decides whether to report it (recommend it) to the full committee.
- If a subcommittee votes not to report legislation to the full committee, the bill dies.
Committee Review, Mark Up and Vote on Bill
- The full committee can hold hearings, and during markups, consider other amendments.
- The full committee votes to determine if the bill advances to the Floor of that chamber (House or Senate).
- The bill can fail in full committee and cannot advance without a full committee vote.
Chamber Debates and Votes on Bill
- Voting is done after debate and approval of any amendments.
- The bill is either passed or defeated.
Other Chamber Considers Bill
- If passed, the House or Senate sends the bill to the second chamber where the process repeats.
- The chamber may approve that bill as it was received, reject it, ignore it, or change it.
Conference Committee
- It is formed when the actions of the other chamber significantly alter the bill to reconcile differences between the House and the Senate versions.
- If they are unable to reach an agreement, the legislation dies.
- If agreement is reached, a conference report is prepared describing the committee’s recommendations for changes.
- The House and Senate must approve the conference report.
Both Chambers Vote on Final Bill
- The House and Senate vote on the identical form of the bill.
- If either chamber does not approve the bill, it dies.
President Signature
- If the House and Senate approve the bill in identical form, it is sent to the president.
- If the President approves of the legislation, it is signed and it becomes a law.
- If the President opposes the bill, it is vetoed.
- If the President takes no action for 10 days, while Congress is in session, it automatically becomes a law.
- If the President takes no action after the Congress has adjourned its second session, it is a “pocket veto” and the legislation dies.
- Congress may attempt to override a veto.
- If both the Senate and the House pass the bill by a two-thirds majority, the president’s veto is overruled and the bill becomes a law.