On Monday, February 5th, I met with Congressional Leaders in DC at the Dirksen Senate Building. I was invited to meet and share with leaders:
a broad overview of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
the positive impact VAWA funding is having in states/territories,
how VAWA Administrators leverage both state and federal funds to address domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and sex trafficking.
conversation regarding challenges administrators are facing administering VAWA funding
Based primarily on valuable listserv feedback that was received from many of you prior to making the trip, AVA has been invited back to provide additional information.
Prior to the 1:00 meeting with Congressional Leaders, I met with Elizabeth Pyke, Director of Government Affairs with the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) and Rob Valente, Chief Officer for Government Affairs for the National Network Domestic Violence Hotline.
Both Elizabeth and Rob are AVA allies and their experience on the Hill provides valuable insight as to how best to prepare for meetings in DC. AVA is grateful to both of them for their ongoing support.
We will keep you posted on future meetings, and as always, we appreciate your input and feedback.
