WASHINGTON DC (MPG) – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) voted to pass the bipartisan Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021. This bill reauthorizes crucial legislation to help prevent violence and abuse against women and support survivors as they recover and pursue justice. It also makes some important improvements to the original Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), including increased funding to prevent such violence, improvements to services for survivors, provisions to better assist Native American women who are disproportionately targeted, and the closing of the so-called “boyfriend loophole” to prevent violent partners from obtaining firearms.

“Women across our nation deserve to live their lives free from violence and abuse, and survivors of this kind of terrible hate deserve robust protections and services as they recover and seek justice. That’s why today I voted to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act to both reauthorize and expand this critical legislation,” said Thompson. “For nearly three decades, VAWA has transformed the lives of women and survivors of violence and domestic abuse, offering access to safety and justice. We cannot let this legislation go any longer without being reauthorized and I urge the Senate to take up this bill immediately.”

First passed in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act expands protections against abuse for women and gives survivors of such abuse a better social and judicial safety net. Unfortunately, the bill expired in 2018 under a Republican-led Congress. Thompson voted to reauthorize VAWA in 2019 and the bill then died in the Republican-controlled Senate. This legislation is similar to the bipartisan bill that passed the House in 2019 and can be read here.

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s 5^th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means where he chairs the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition.