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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women |
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Act is critical to protecting Americans from gender-based violence, |
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including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and |
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stalking; and |
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WHEREAS, Gender-based violence has a devastating impact on |
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survivors, their families, and their communities; such assaults can |
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have serious health consequences for survivors and can disrupt |
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their education, undermine their ability to work, and jeopardize |
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their ability to maintain stable housing for themselves and their |
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children; and |
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WHEREAS, Since Congress passed VAWA in 1994, rates of |
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violence, on average, have decreased; the act has been reauthorized |
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three times, and H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women |
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Reauthorization Act of 2019, introduced in the 116th Congress, is a |
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bipartisan bill that strengthens VAWA with modest yet important |
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upgrades grounded in a modern understanding of gender-based |
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violence and the needs of survivors from all backgrounds; and |
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WHEREAS, The VAWA Reauthorization Act would improve services |
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for victims and responses by health care systems; in addition, it |
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includes provisions to combat online predators of the young, |
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prevent campus violence, and reduce homicide rates by lawfully |
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protecting survivors from abusers with firearms; it would also |
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enhance legal tools to hold perpetrators accountable and increase |
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access to justice and safety for American Indian and Alaska Native |
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women; moreover, it would help mitigate the detrimental impact of |
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gender-based violence on the economic security of survivors and |
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support the ability of survivors to maintain or secure safe housing |
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in public, subsidized, and assisted housing; and |
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WHEREAS, All Americans deserve to live their lives in safety, |
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free from the threat of violence, and although the nation has made |
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significant progress in recent years, it can and should do more to |
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protect the vulnerable and ensure availability of vital resources; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the U.S. Congress to pass H.R. 1585, the |
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Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |