Houston Republic

Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) recently voted in support of reauthorizing legislation designed to prevent domestic abuse and provide essential support and services to survivors of domestic violence.

Fletcher is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021, which would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that previously expired in 2018. The bill passed the House of Representatives 244-172.

“The Violence Against Women Act provides essential support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and its reauthorization now is vitally important for our community and communities across the country,” Fletcher said. “As an original co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, I am glad to see it pass the House today.”

According to Fletcher, during the COVID-19 pandemic, requests for help to the Houston Area Women’s Center rose dramatically. The Houston Area Women’s Center fielded 39,615 calls in 2019. In 2020, that increased by more than 6,000 with over 46,000 calls for the year.

“The Violence Against Women Act provides resources and services that are life-saving," Fletcher said. "That’s why I am proud to co-sponsor this legislation, and to vote in support of it today. I urge my colleagues to do the same."

The night before the bill was passed, a gunman went on a shooting spree in Atlanta killing eight victims, the majority of them Asian women, according to CBS News. Officials say the suspected gunman denied that the attack was motivated by race and told investigators that he had a "sex addiction" and targeted the women working at the spas because they were temptations he wanted to eliminate.

“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the victims of yesterday’s brutal killings in Atlanta and to the Asian-American and  Pacific Islander community, which has experienced increasing discrimination and violence over the past year, Fletcher said in a statement. "While we must see where the investigation of yesterday's shooting leads, we do not need to wait to address the anti-Asian sentiments across our country and to stand against hate toward our AAPI neighbors.”

On March 12, there were two deadly domestic violence incidents in Houston that were a sign of the increasing rates of family violence in the area, according to KHOU 11 News.

Fletcher thanked fellow Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who helped her with the legislation.