	Background and History of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was originally passed by Congress as Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 ( P.L. 103-322 ). 113-4 ) that reauthorized most of the programs under VAWA, among other things. The VAWA reauthorization also amended and authorized appropriations for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, enhanced measures to combat trafficking in persons, and amended VAWA grant purpose areas to include sex trafficking. 113-4 gave Indian tribes authority to enforce domestic violence laws and related crimes against non-Indian individuals, and established a nondiscrimination provision for VAWA grant programs. The reauthorization also included new provisions to address the rape kit backlog in states. This reauthorization and others are discussed in this report. Office on Violence Against Women

In 1995, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) was administratively created within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to administer the grants authorized under VAWA. Since its creation through FY2014, the OVW has awarded more than $6 billion in grants and cooperative agreements to state, tribal, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and universities. While the OVW administers the majority of VAWA authorized grants, other federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), also manage VAWA funds. Under VAWA, domestic violence is generally interpreted as intimate partner violence. Reauthorizations of VAWA

Since it was enacted in 1994, Congress has reauthorized VAWA three times. In 2000, Congress reauthorized VAWA through the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act ( P.L. The legislation added protections for battered and/or trafficked nonimmigrants; enhanced penalties for repeat stalking offenders; and added programs for American Indian victims and sexual assault victims and programs designed to improve the public health response to domestic violence. In 2013, the 113 th Congress reauthorized VAWA through the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013; P.L. Three previously unfunded programs, (1) Interdisciplinary Training and Education on Domestic Violence and Other Types of Violence and Abuse, (2) Research on Effective Interventions in the Health Care Setting, and (3) Grants to Foster Public Health Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking, were eliminated and their purpose areas were included in the authorization of a new program called Grants to Strengthen the Healthcare System's Response to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking. Table A-1 provides descriptions of VAWA programs.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been of ongoing interest to Congress since its enactment in 1994 (P.L. 103-322). The original act was intended to change attitudes toward domestic violence, foster awareness of domestic violence, improve services and provisions for victims, and revise the manner in which the criminal justice system responds to domestic violence and sex crimes. The legislation created new programs within the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) that aimed to reduce domestic violence and improve response to and recovery from domestic violence incidents. VAWA primarily addresses certain types of violent crime through grant programs to state, tribal, and local governments; nonprofit organizations; and universities. VAWA programs target the crimes of intimate partner violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
In 1995, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) was created administratively within DOJ to administer federal grants authorized under VAWA. In 2002, Congress codified the OVW as a separate office within DOJ. Since its creation, the OVW has awarded more than $6 billion in grants. While the OVW administers the majority of VAWA authorized grants, other federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in HHS) and the Office of Justice Programs (in DOJ), also manage VAWA grants.
Since its passage in 1994, VAWA has been modified and reauthorized several times. In 2000, Congress reauthorized the programs under VAWA, enhanced federal domestic violence and stalking penalties, added protections for abused foreign nationals, and created programs for elderly and disabled women. In 2005, Congress again reauthorized VAWA. In addition to reauthorizing the programs under VAWA, the legislation enhanced penalties for repeat stalking offenders; added additional protections for battered and/or trafficked foreign nationals; created programs for sexual assault victims and American Indian victims of domestic violence and related crimes; and created programs designed to improve the public health response to domestic violence.
In February 2013, Congress passed legislation (Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013; P.L. 113-4) that reauthorized most of the programs under VAWA, among other things. The VAWA reauthorization also amended and authorized appropriations for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, enhanced measures to combat trafficking in persons, and amended some VAWA grant purpose areas to include sex trafficking. Moreover, VAWA 2013 gave Indian tribes authority to enforce domestic violence laws and related crimes against non-Indian individuals, and established a nondiscrimination provision for VAWA grant programs. The reauthorization also included new provisions to address the rape kit backlog in states. A description of the reauthorization is provided in this report.