Contact your Senators and ask them to commit to supporting a bill that builds on H.R.1620 and meets the identified needs of survivors and communities.

Find your Senators here and use their webpage to figure out the best way to contact them. Here’s a sample email to get you started:

Greetings! Saludos! My name is [your name], and I am a constituent from [your location. I am contacting you today to urge the Senate to introduce and pass a bipartisan VAWA reauthorization bill that builds on the House-passed H.R.1620 and meets the identified needs of survivors and communities. The Violence Against Women Act is one of the pillars of the federal response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. [Tell your Senator why VAWA has been so important to your community or, if you have a story you feel comfortable sharing, share your experience]. Every time VAWA has been reauthorized, it has been strengthened based on our increased understanding of gender-based violence, and this reauthorization can be no different. The COVID-19 pandemic, when the rates of domestic violence and sexual assault have increased, is not the time to roll back important protections or even to maintain the status quo. H.R.1620, which passed the House with strong bipartisan support, maintains protections for all victims, makes vital investments in sexual assault prevention and services, ensures sexual predators who prey on Native women can be held accountable, invests in culturally specific organizations, protects victims of domestic violence from intimate partner homicide, provides alternatives to the legal system for survivors who want them, and increases victims’ access to safe housing and economic stability. As a constituent, I urge Senator [your Senator’s name] to prioritize the introduction and passage of a VAWA reauthorization that builds on the House-passed bill and meets the identified needs of survivors and communities. Can Senator [your Senator’s name] commit to that?You can also tweet your Senator: “@SenatorHandle We need a #VAWA4ALL bill in the Senate that supports ALL SURVIVORS. I urge you to publicly prioritize the introduction and passage of a bipartisan #VAWA4All that builds on HR1620 and meets the identified needs of survivors! As your constituent, I appreciate your support.” or tag your representative on social media using these Twitter handles

For more information check out our October 19, 2021 policy alert.