Dear Sister :

Thank you for taking the time to contact me  about domestic and sexual violence. I appreciate hearing from all Pennsylvanians  about the issues that matter most to them.

We must do all we can to prevent domestic and sexual  violence from occurring, to help victims receive the help and support they need  and to punish the perpetrators of the crime.

In the 110^th Congress, I was proud to be a cosponsor of the Domestic Violence Volunteer  Attorney Network Act. This bill would have given low income individuals who are  victims of domestic violence access to legal aid and services. I believe that  every victim of domestic violence should receive justice through our legal  system. This legislation has not been reintroduced in the 111^th Congress.

I am also a strong supporter of the Violence Against  Women Act (VAWA). I have on many occasions joined with colleagues in the Senate  to advocate for full funding for the programs contained in VAWA. I am a  cosponsor of S. 1340, the Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act of 2009, which  would raise the cap on the Crime Victims Fund, the principle means by which the  federal government supports essential services for crime victims under the  Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). I have also consistently supported funding  increases for other programs under VOCA. It is critical to ensure funding for  these services, as failure to fund them would create an additional burden on  state and local taxpayers while severely curtailing programs in Pennsylvania and  around the country.

Earlier  this year, I introduced an amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution that would  pave the way for full funding of a program to provide long term and stable  housing assistance to victims of domestic violence. The amendment would help  women who leave abusive relationships to avoid two very negative potential  outcomes – returning to their abusers or becoming homeless. The amendment would  create a deficit neutral reserve fund to fully fund the Long-Term  Stability/Housing for Victims Program under VAWA. This is an existing program  that has never received funding. I am pleased that this amendment was adopted by  the Senate and included as a part of the budget resolution.
I am pleased that the American Recovery and  Reinvestment Act included additional funds to support VOCA and VAWA. Through  this legislation, Pennsylvania will receive approximately $6.4 million for VAWA  and $3.8 million for crime victim compensation and assistance to administer  VOCA-funded crime victim compensation programs. The Omnibus Appropriations Act  of 2009 included $415 million for the Office on Violence Against Women at the  Department of Justice, $15 million above the 2008 funding  level.

Finally, I recently  introduced a resolution recognizing April, 2009 as National Sexual Assault  Awareness Month. Recognizing National Sexual Assault Awareness Month provides a  special opportunity to educate the people of the United States about sexual  violence and to encourage the prevention of sexual assault, the improved  treatment of its survivors and the prosecution of its perpetrators. The House  concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 104, passed the Senate by unanimous consent  on April 30, 2009.

Again,  thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact  me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to  you.

If you have access to the  Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I  invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay  up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share  with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to  Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator