Ernst’s Landmark Violence Against Women Act Signed Into Law
The Iowa senator, a survivor herself and longtime champion of reauthorizing VAWA, attended the White House signing ceremony today and spoke on the Senate floor.
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, had her landmark bill to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) signed into law, an effort she has championed and worked on for more than three years.
Ernst joined her fellow leaders of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), at the White House today for the signing of the legislation. The bill, now law, reauthorizes VAWA through 2027, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations, and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law.
“As one of the one out of three women that have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, I’ve worked for three years, in good-faith and across the aisle, to reauthorize and modernize this very important legislation. My hope is that with this bill, some women will never have to suffer this horrific, personal abuse, and those that do will have the necessary support and resources in a moment of crisis to cope with and ultimately overcome their trauma. Today, I join my fellow survivors, my colleagues, and our strong advocates across this country in celebrating VAWA’s reauthorization and modernization,” said Senator Ernst.
