Try, Try Again

The Violence Against Women Act is being reintroduced into the Senate, hopefully this week.  The act was allowed to lapse in the last Congress because the House refused to move on it. 

From AP:

Senate Democrats worked toward picking up Republican allies Monday as they launched a new attempt to broaden a law protecting women from domestic abuse by expanding its provisions to cover gays, lesbians and Native Americans.

The legislation to renew the Violence Against Women Act appeared on a smooth path toward passage in the Senate, possibly by the end of this week. Monday's procedural vote to make the bill the next order of business was expected to easily clear the 60-vote threshold. ...

House Republicans, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, say reauthorizing the 1994 act, which expired in 2011, is a priority. But resolving partisan differences remains an obstacle: last year both the House and Senate passed bills but the House would not go along with Senate provisions that single out gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders for protection and give tribal authorities more power to prosecute non-Indians who attack Indian partners on tribal lands.

As always, the devil is in the details, but given the trouncing the GOP in 2012 when it came to the women's vote, the Republicans just might be a little more circumspect and at least some form of the bill will make it through.  Unfortunately, I don't think the Republicans will be willing to expand the protection to include the gay community and Native American women.

What would be nice is having a law such as this one without a "sunset" provision.  Why should violence against women, especially in a domestic situation, ever be tolerable or tolerated?  Why should we have to renew the law every few years?  If it needs tinkering, then pass a bill which strengthens it by way of an amendment.

I guess that would be make it too difficult to keep women in line.

Morons.