Native News Network

NCAI to Host a National Call on the Violence Against Women Act     January 29, 2013 ACTION ALERT:  Join National Call on VAWA NCAI to Host a National Call on the Violence Against Women Act  on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, from 3pm to 4pm (EST). Last week, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This bill is very similar to the bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Leahy and Crapo last Congress and would improve VAWA programs and strengthen protections for all victims of violence, including Native women. In an effort to build a groundswell of support from Indian Country, NCAI will host a national call tomorrow, January 30, 2013 from 3pm - 4pm (EST) to update everyone on the current legislation and highlight the need for action. Please dial into tomorrow's call using this dial-in number and participant code:    Participant call-in number: (877) 856-2376 | Conference ID: 95462308  GOAL: 60 Sponsors by January 31st.   Senator Leahy has arranged for VAWA to go directly to the Senate floor and Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to bring VAWA up for a vote in the next few weeks.     In order to continue our incredible momentum from last Congress and get VAWA passed right now, we need you to take action TODAY by contacting your Senators to co-sponsor S. 47. After only 4 working days since introduction, the bill has 50 sponsors including 5 Republicans.  Our goal, in solidarity with the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women, is to get 60 co-sponsors by January 31st so that VAWA passes resoundingly on the Senate floor for a jubilant bipartisan victory. We only need 7 more co-sponsors to achieve that goal. We need to keep the phones ringing starting right now!       So Far, the Bill has the Following Sponsors:  Senators Ayotte, Kelly (R-NH), Baldwin, Tammy - (D - WI), Baucus, Max (D-MT) , Begich, Mark (D-AK), Bennet, Michael (D-CO), Blumenthal, Richard - (D - CT) ,Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH),  Cantwell, Maria (D-WA), Cardin, Benjamin (D-MD), Casey, Robert (D-PA), Collins, Susan (R-ME), Coons, Chris (D-DE), Crapo, Mike (R-ID), Durbin, Richard (D-IL), Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA), Franken, Al (D-MN), Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY), Hagan, Kay (D-NC), Harkin, Tom (D-IA), Heinrich,  Martin (D-NM), Heitkamp, Heidi (D-ND), Hirono, Mazie K. - (D - HI), King, Angus (I-ME), Kirk, Mark (R-IL), Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN), Landrieu, Mary L. - (D - LA), Leahy, Patrick (D-VT), Levin, Carl - (D - MI) McCaskill, Claire (D-MO), Manchin, Joe, III - (D - WV) ,Menendez, Robert (D-NJ), Merkley, Jeff (D-OR), Mikulski, Barbara (D-MD), Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK), Murray, Patty (D-WA), Pryor, Mark  (D-AR), Reed, Jack (D-RI), Reid, Harry (D-NV), Rockefeller, John D (D-WV), Sanders, Bernard - (I - VT), Schumer, Charles  (D-NY), Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH), Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI), Tester, Jon (D-MT), Udall, Mark (D-CO), Udall, Tom (D-NM), Warner, Mark (D-VA), Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA), Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI), Wyden, Ron (D-OR).   Recent Additions: Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).     Please thank these Senators for their early support of the Violence Against Women Act.     ACTION ITEM:  CALL YOUR SENATOR(s) TODAY!!!     If you don't see your Senator on the list above, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask the operator to connect you to your Senators. If you don't know who your Senators are, you can look them up here.    When you're connected to their offices, ask to speak to the staff person who handles VAWA.  Tell the person who answers the phone:    I am a constituent from (city and state) and my name is _________.   I urge Senator____ to co-sponsor  S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and provide urgently-needed protections for Native women.   Thank you and I look forward to hearing that the Senator is a co-sponsor.      ACTION ITEM:  PARTICIPATE IN GRASSROOTS PHOTO CAMPAIGN! Join the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women's "We need VAWA because..." campaign on Facebook and Instagram!    Tag your photos on Instragram (from your phone) and Twitter with the hashtag #VAWA (feel free to add #NCAI1944) and/or submit your photos via email to our partners from The Leadership Conference Education Fund at  lccref@gmail.com (include NCAI's communications staff at twallace@ncai.org).    Make sure to include your city and state name and your senators' and representative's name in your statement so that your senators/representative knows that their state/district cares about VAWA. Here are some examples.     ACTION ITEM: JOIN THE NTF IN A TWITTER CHAT   ON FEBRUARY 11TH In light of President Obama's upcoming State of the Union address, the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women will be holding a "State of the VAWA" Twitter Chat on Monday, February 11th at 2pm EST to answer questions and engage the public in a dialogue about the importance of an inclusive VAWA.   Please mark your calendars and send your questions in advance to @NTFVAWA using the #SoVAWA hashtag. More information coming soon!   Potential Sponsor Cheat Sheet for S. 47 (courtesy of the Nat'l Task Force)    %+ Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)   + Lautenberg, Frank R. - (D - NJ) + Schatz, Brian - (D - HI)   N Donnelly, Joe - (D - IN) N Fischer, Deb - (R - NE) N Kaine, Tim - (D - VA) N Murphy, Christopher - (D - CT)   % Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE)        % Heller, Dean - (R - NV) % Johnson, Tim - (D - SD) % Nelson, Bill - (D - FL)   # Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN) # Coats, Daniel - (R - IN) # Corker, Bob (R-TN) # Hoeven, John - (R - ND) # McCain, John - (R - AZ) # Portman, Rob - (R - OH) # Vitter, David - (R - LA)   Cornyn, John - (R - TX) Enzi, Michael B. - (R - WY) Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC) Grassley, Chuck - (R - IA) Hatch, Orrin G. - (R - UT) Rubio, Marco - (R - FL) Toomey, Patrick J. - (R - PA)   N=new, +Sponsored S. 5 (2013), %Sponsored VAWA 2012, #Voted for VAWA 2012   NCAI Contact Information: John Dossett, General Counsel - john_dossett@ncai.org