Sen. Lindsey Graham
Sen. Tim ScottSouth Carolina is one of the states in the top ten for rates of domestic violence, but the Palmetto State's two voices in the Senate, Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. Lindsey Graham, voted against renewing the Violence Against Women Act.
Scott and Graham are just two of the 22 Republicans who voted against the bill. It still passed the Senate with a 78-22 vote.
The Violence Against Women Act provides grants to state and local governments to assist in the prosecution of rapists and abusers.
Some Republican lawmakers say they oppose the bill because of the authority given to tribal courts to prosecute non-native abusers. There's also conflict in the language of creation and funding of programs involving non-discrimination against gays and lesbians.
The bill was first passed in 1994, but expired in 2011 after a failed bid to reauthorize it.
Copyright 2013 WIS. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WMBF, a Raycom Media Station.
