Domestic Violence and Victims of Crime

Preventing domestic violence must start early by promoting positive and safe dating relationships. Domestic and sexual violence has claimed too many victims, even here in Idaho.

Dating violence is a horrendous epidemic in this country – where one in every three women and one in six men experience some form of dating violence in their lives. This issue continues to remain personal to me, as I have seen firsthand the terrible impact domestic violence can have on victims in Idaho.

Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has helped victims and families in our communities by making substantial progress toward ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In 2013, I was the lead Republican sponsor on legislation to reauthorize VAWA. The law extended the many successes of the previous VAWA legislation and improved upon provisions in order to correspond to our evolving society.

Together, we can work to develop policies and efforts that support prevention by promoting healthy relationships and responding to dating abuse.

In addition, victims of crime deserve our help to ensure they can fight for the justice they deserve. The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) provides grants to states through the Crime Victims Fund to do exactly that. Throughout my time in Congress, I have consistently fought to ensure as much of the fund can be given to states to help victims as possible.

In 2021, I was a co-sponsor of the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act, which ensures deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreement fines and revenues can be deposited into the fund. In the years since the bill’s enactment, I have worked with my colleagues to ensure USDOJ lives up to its requirements. I have been and will continue to be a committed advocate of victims’ rights.