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| Vol. 18, No. 29 | April 29, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 29 | April 29, 1999 |
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U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. will participate in a special forum on "Speaking Out Against Violence Against Women," scheduled for Monday, May 3, at the University.
Members of the University community are invited to attend a special panel discussion with these distinguished speakers from 10-11 a.m. in Mitchell Hall. Also participating will be University President David P. Roselle, Margaret Andersen, sociology and criminal justice, and Traci Feit, AS '99.
The program is free, but space is limited. Individuals wishing to attend can pick up a ticket at the Trabant University Center box office. There is a limit of four tickets per UD ID. A limited number of tickets has been held for use by classes.
To obtain group tickets, call Christy Pennington, alumni and University relations, at
831-2341.
After the morning program, Biden, Reno and Shalala will speak at a luncheon in the Bob Carpenter Center, scheduled from noon-2 p.m., to discuss the Violence Against Women Act II. Members of the University community may register for the luncheon by sending a check for $10.60, payable to the University, to the Office of Alumni and University Relations. Registrations will be accepted through the end of the day today, Thursday, April 29.
In January, Biden introduced the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) II, a bill that extends and strengthens his original 1994 "VAWA" bill through 2002.
"Thanks to the great success of the original act, women and children now have access to shelters that provide a safe haven from abuse; police officers are trained to identify abusers and help victims; and victims of domestic violence and assault have access to counseling and legal assistance," Biden said on the Senate floor when he introduced the bill.
A central part of the bill would extend the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund, due to expire in 2000, through 2002. The trust fund provides money for police, courts, prosecutors, judges and shelters in a comprehensive effort to combat violence against women.
Another key provision of the bill strengthens the enforcement of "stay-away" orders across state lines.
Often a victim of domestic violence enters a state where local law enforcement may not recognize a valid protection order from another state.
To address this problem, the measure frees up grant money to facilitate information sharing between states, encourages states to enter into cooperative agreements with each other and calls on the Justice Department to provide technical guidance to state and local police.
Other measures in the bill would:
