"This week’s 78-to-22 vote in the Senate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act provided a refreshing demonstration of bipartisanship that the House would do well to emulate. Last year, the Republican-led House blocked the act’s renewal over objections to new protections for gay, immigrant and American Indian victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It falls to Speaker John Boehner to see that this does not happen again.

Other sticking points remain, chiefly the new powers the Senate bill would grant tribal courts, which currently cannot pursue non-Indians who attack Indian women on tribal land. Domestic and sexual violence has been soaring in tribal communities, and the law needs updating to address this prosecutorial gap. The Senate bill requires that criminal defendants in tribal courts be accorded normal constitutional protections. Negotiators are working on possible changes to alleviate Republican concerns about ensuring fair treatment of non-Indian defendants."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Renew the Violence Against Women Act (The New York Times 2/16)

More Opinions:
EDITORIAL: U.S. House should follow Senate’s lead on domestic violence (The Delco Times 2/18)
Our View: House, don't delay vote on VAWA (The St. Cloud Times 2/17)
Editorial: Violence Against Women Act advances (The Dallas Morning News 2/15)

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