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Floor Speech

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Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues Senator Durbin, Senator Feinstein, and Senator Murkowski for joining me on the floor this morning to talk about a very important topic and one that we can finally celebrate, which is the passage and the signing of the Violence Against Women Act.

Nine years--it has been 9 years since the Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized, but, finally, the Senate reauthorized and modernized this very important bill.

Last week, the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 passed the House and the Senate, and yesterday, at long last, it was signed into law.

I have been a proud champion of this bill over the last 3 years. And while no bill is perfect, I am extremely grateful for the bipartisan work to get it over the finish line.

This bill is personal. Many of you know my story. I am the one out of three women who has experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.

Similarly, one in four men have had the same experience. This means nearly 20 people per minute, more than 10 million women and men in the United States every single year have suffered this horrific personal abuse.

I am not a victim. I am a survivor. It took me a long time to say those words out loud. And my hope is that with this bill some women will never have to, and those who do will have the necessary support and resources in a moment of crisis to cope with and ultimately overcome their trauma.

The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is a bright light in our current troubling reality.

The bill includes so many critical resources, especially in our rural communities, that have been drastically overlooked.

Specifically, the bill doubles the support for both the rural domestic violence assistance program and the Rape Prevention and Education Program, both of which are of great importance to my home State of Iowa.

And my sincere hope is that the resources contained in this new law will finally help truly move the needle on domestic violence around the country and that some of our Nation's most vulnerable will have access to the support that they so desperately need.

To my colleagues, thank you, especially to Senators Feinstein, Durbin, and Murkowski for your diligent work on domestic violence- related issues over the years.

I also want to thank Republican Senators Cornyn, Collins, Capito, Portman, Cramer, Tillis, Moran, Burr, and Blunt for supporting this vital bill at introduction.

The negotiations were, at times--my colleagues will recognize this-- very tough, and there were several doubts along the way as to whether the bill would actually ever happen. But with a little bit of tenacity and good-faith negotiating, we got there.

To those who work every day around this great country to help domestic violence survivors, including our law enforcement officers who are answering those domestic violence calls, thank you.

While working at a victim's shelter answering the hotline in college, I heard the heartbreaking stories of abuse. I understand this is your daily reality. Please know your work is not going unnoticed and is making a difference in the lives of those around you.

To all of the advocates, I greatly appreciate and respect your passion for the causes you support. Your persistence made this bill possible, and it made this bill better.

While the end result isn't perfect, it modernizes the resources necessary to meet the evolving needs of our survivors.

This bill is proof that bipartisanship is not dead and Congress can tackle these tough issues.

Finally, for my fellow Americans who can say they are survivors, for those who have not come to terms with their abuse and for those who feel trapped in their situation and for those who have lost their battle, please know that you are not and will never be forgotten. The Violence Against Women Act is for you.

Today, I join my fellow survivors, my colleagues, and our strong and wonderful advocates across this country in celebrating VAWA's reauthorization and its modernization.

Thank you to my dear colleagues for their wonderful work in helping us get this over the finish line.

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