To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate

Tell Congress: Pass the Violence Against Women Act now

"Take action immediately to pass the expanded Violence Against Women Act in the House and Senate. Every minute Congress delays, women across America face danger and abuse. Lives are at stake. Please get to work right away and make sure the programs and protections that have helped millions over the years are put back into place."

Why is this important?

Well, finally. You probably heard that the last Congress was one of the least productive in history. Even worse than that, they're the first Congress to fail to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

So it's good news that leaders in the new Congress, in both the House and Senate, just introduced VAWA again. Even better, the versions that have been introduced expand protections to communities who are especially vulnerable to sexual and domestic violence--Native American women, immigrant women, and members of the LGBT community.

But those expanded protections are the very reason House conservatives shamefully refused to act on VAWA last year--leaving millions of women without crucial protections. So if we don't push Congress, hard, it might not even come up for a vote this year.

Reporters are already covering the new VAWA bills, and conservatives didn't face nearly enough pressure when they failed to act last year, so now is the time to speak up. New members of Congress are particularly sensitive to news coverage early in their terms, and want to avoid bad press at all costs. So we need to put pressure on them right away. Can you sign this petition telling Congress to expand and reauthorize VAWA?