After House Republicans introduced their legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, one GOP congressman said he wants leadership to do what it takes to pass the domestic violence bill.
“I am prepared to vote for the Senate bill that’s passed,” Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) told TPM in an interview Friday. “At the very least I’d like to move on the House bill. The whole hangup is over the LGBT, U Visas and the tribal matters. I don’t want to let these provisions impede the underlying bill.”
Dent, who recently participated in a letter with 16 other House Republicans calling on GOP leadership to take up a bipartisan VAWA, said the conference has not yet had an in-depth discussion on VAWA but he expects there to be one next week. House Republican leaders have no intention of bringing up the Senate bill for a vote, but intend to fast-track their version to the floor next week.
“Republicans are for passing the Violence Against Women Act, too,” Dent said. “The issues are the peripheral matters, not the substance of the bill.”
