Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Assistant Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta today applauded the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA was reauthorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which President Joe Biden signed into law this week.

“Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and harassment are serious violations of criminal law that demand our continued attention and action,” Attorney General Garland said. “The Department of Justice welcomes the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and will continue to use the resources available to us to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and provide essential services to survivors.

“One of the many accomplishments of this bipartisan reauthorization of VAWA is the recognition of expanded jurisdiction for Native American and Alaska Native tribes to protect their communities from domestic and sexual violence, which I have highlighted as a priority in my testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last October,” said the Deputy Attorney General of Monaco. “It is fitting that this important legislation was passed during Women’s History Month, as it will contribute to address the epidemic levels of gender-based violence that impede equality in our society.We have made substantial progress since I worked on the original VAWA in Congress in the 1990s, but programs, protections and VAWA’s new initiatives remain essential to address the unmet needs of our communities.

“VAWA’s reauthorization helps ensure that all survivors can live safe and healthy lives, free from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence and harassment,” Associate Attorney General Gupta said. “Preventing and ending violence creates a more equal and equitable world for women and girls, and people of all genders who experience harm. I look forward to working with the Office on Violence Against Women to implement and administer new programs and services that support underserved communities.

In addition to recognizing expanded jurisdiction for Native American and Alaska Native tribes, the VAWA reauthorization addresses many Department of Justice priorities, including:

• Reauthorize through 2027 VAWA’s lifesaving grant programs, which will enable communities to provide essential services to survivors, as well as the right tools and training to ensure responses to these crimes are centered on survivors and consider trauma.
• Increase services and supports for underserved populations, including culturally specific communities, LGBTQ survivors, persons with disabilities, immigrant survivors, seniors, and victims in rural communities, among others.
• Address gaps in federal sex crimes laws and promote accountability of law enforcement officers, by strengthening the ability to prosecute federal officers who sexually assault or abuse those in their custody, and penalize appropriately defendants who commit civil rights offenses involving sexual misconduct, including those who commit sexual assault while acting under the guise of the law and those who commit sexual assault as part of a hate crime.
• Strengthen efforts to reduce homicides by enforcing federal and state firearms laws, including enacting the National Instant Criminal Record Check (NICS) Notification Denial Act to assist law enforcement ordering states to investigate and prosecute illegal gun buyers and amending the gun control law to clarify that gun bans apply to perpetrators of domestic violence convicted under municipal ordinances.
• Improve access to justice for survivors by increasing funding for legal services grants and allowing post-conviction legal assistance to survivors in matters arising from their domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, harassment or victimization through sex trafficking.