Congress is finalizing the funding bills for fiscal year 2010. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have passed separate funding bills and now must reconcile their bills into one before sending it to the President. The House passed a higher funding amount for Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) - which is the only federal funding dedicated to domestic violence services and shelters.
Act now to preserve the higher funding amount in the final bill!
FVPSA is at the heart of our nation's response to domestic violence, providing emergency, lifesaving services to victims and their children. When victims who face life-threatening abuse reach out for help, we must make sure they have the resources and support they need to be safe and secure. Yet, during the economic downturn many domestic violence programs are struggling to meet the increased demand for life-saving services as their budgets are shrinking. FVPSA funding is needed now more than ever!
Take Action Now!
Call these key Senators today and urge them to allocate at least $133.7 million (the funding level passed by the House) for FVPSA. These Senators have leadership roles on the Appropriations Committee and play a vital role in determining funding levels.
Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) - 202.224.3934
Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) - 202.224.3254
Chairman of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) - 202.224.5054
Ranking Member of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Never called a Member of Congress before? Don't worry, it's easy!
Your call will be answered by a receptionist. Tell her or him:
"Hello, my name is _____."
"I strongly urge Senator [last name] to fund the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) at $133.7 million, the funding level passed by the House.
"FVPSA is the only dedicated source of federal funding for vital lifesaving services to victims of domestic violence and their children and needs to be increased to meet the growing demand for services."
"Thank you."
If you have time, also share a story about how domestic violence services have positively impacted your community.
After you've made the call, please send us a quick note to let us know you've made the call and tell us how it went! We'd especially like to hear from you if this is your first time making a call to Congress - let us know what that was like for you - you words will inspire others! Send your follow up email to actnow@stopfamilyviolence.org
Thank you for being a voice for survivors of domestic violence.
Background
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have included funding for FVPSA in their Appropriations (funding) bills and now these two bills need to be combined into one bill for the President to sign. The House has requested more funding than the Senate and it is vital we secure the House's funding amount in the final bill!
Earlier this year the House and Senate both passed separate Appropriations bills. Critical decisions are being made now as the two bills are being combined into the final bill for the President to sign.
FVPSA is currently authorized at $175 million but only received $127.7 million in fiscal year 2009.
For fiscal year 2010, the Senate requested $127.7 million in funding for FVPSA, (the same level as fiscal year 2009) while the House of Representatives requested an increased level of $133.7 million!
Recognizing the need for specific services for children, Congress determined that once FVPSA funding reached $130 million, a portion of funding over $130 million will be dedicated to programs serving children.
Since the existing funding does not meet the need for emergency services and does not provide specific support resources for specialized children's services, it is critical that the Senate agree to the House approved funding of $133.7 million.
Facts on FVPSA
To respond to the needs of victims of domestic violence, there are approximately 2,000 community based domestic violence programs serving approximately 300,000 victims and their children every year.
FVPSA is effective - the domestic violence shelters and programs it funds address both the urgent and long-term needs of victims of violence and help victims protect themselves and their children.
Despite FVPSA's successes there is still a large gap between demand for services and adequate resources - on just one day in 2008, 60,799 victims received services from domestic violence programs while 8,927 requests for services went unmet due to a lack of resources.
Thanks for your quick action on this.
Irene Weiser
25 Nov 09 - Submission by KF (Illinois)
We at African American Women's Leadership Congress join with Africa Action in the campaign to Eliminate violence against Women!
Break The Silence: The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Dear Friend,
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and we call upon you to take a moment to reflect on the silent terror of rape and sexual violence in situations of conflict across the African continent.
Many women who are survivors of rape and other forms of sexual violence suffer silently because speaking out usually result in stigma and rejection by their communities and families. Consequently many cases of rape and sexual violence go unreported and perpetrators go unpunished.
Break the Silence and join us in speaking out against these heinous crimes. At Africa Action we believe that breaking the silence and ending the systematic use of rape and sexual violence against women and girls is one of the most urgent moral responsibilities of our time.
To mark the International Day of the Eliminations of Violence against Women, Africa Action released Break The Silence: Stop Violence Against Women in Darfur and Sudan – a public education resource.
Unfortunately women across the continent, not only in Sudan are struggling with the long term effects of rape. From the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Guinea, women and girls must be protected, victims of rape need to be supported, and perpetrators of violence must be brought to justice.
To help raise awareness for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women add Africa Action's twitter ribbon to your twitter and facebook account! Follow Africa Action on twitter for more information and to add the twibbon to your social network pages.
www.twitter.com/AfricaAction
Thank you,
Staff @ Africa Action
www.africaaction.org
The struggle for justice continues
The following information was sent in on 15 November by our Central Region Director and Illinois President, Karen Ford. We share to make you aware:
The case of Heather Ellis, the young college student who may face 15 years in prison for cutting in line at Walmart. Review the facts in the case for yourself. We are providing links for you at the end of this entry. It is reported that she was only joining her cousin who was already in line. Should this altercation have ended up with police being called? Was there a crime and if so, should it cost this young woman her future?
The events took place in the small town of Kennet, MO.
Kennett is a sleepy southeast Missouri town that rests in the state's conservative “Boothill region”. It has a White population of over 90 percent so, African-Americans are an extreme minority at less than 9 percent. There is a long pattern of racial injustice in this area, according to civil rights advocates.
A petition has been composed by a group known as Your Black World Coalition to fight against what is happening to Heather. Some groups are even reaching out to the Attorney General of the United States, the Attorney General of the State of Missouri, and anyone else who can help this young woman achieve justice.
To read more about Heather's case, visit:
www.TheHeatherEllisCase.com
also go to The St. Louis American's for an in depth article:
