RADAR ALERT:
Keep it Up: Tell the Senate DV Funding Doesn't Belong in an Economic Stimulus Bill
The Economic Stimulus plan currently being considered by the Senate allocates 400 million dollars to fund ineffective domestic violence programs?1
Last week, we asked you to call three key Senators on the stimulus bill, Senators Ben Nelson, Susan Collins, and Arlen Specter regarding the proposed funding. This week, we ask you to contact those Senators again and two additional Senators, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe and Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Because of the importance of the stimulus package, you may be unable to get through on the Senators' main numbers in D.C. If you cannot get through, we ask you to either fax them or contact their district offices. The webpages with their district office contact information is included below:
Tell the Senators:
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The $400 million for ineffective domestic violence programs ($300 million for VAWA and $100 million dollars for VOCA) should be removed from the economic stimulus bill.
None of the VAWA or the VOCA funding have any place in a bill whose purpose is to get the economy moving again. The proposed 50% cuts to the VAWA and VOCA funding2 would still allocate $200 million to these items that have nothing to do with stimulating the economy.
Existing federally-funded domestic violence programs:
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have led to the deaths of women and children3,
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have wrought havoc on African-American families4,
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have created incentives to make false accusations while lowering the bar for proof so that it becomes nearly impossible to exonerate innocent defendants5
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Too many lives are at stake to allow the grafting of this funding onto the Economic Stimulus plan to thwart legitimate debate on how to create domestic violence programs that help, rather than harm, domestic violence victims.
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The Economic Stimulus bill should contain items that will stimulate the economy. It should not contain close to half-a-billion dollars for domestic violence programs whose only reason for being in this bill is to prevent a legitimate inquiry into their ineffectiveness.
As always, remember to express your concerns to the Senators' staffmembers in a polite and respectful manner.
Date of RADAR Release: February 9, 2009
R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to improve the effectiveness of our nation's approach to solving domestic violence. http://www.mediaradar.org
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