Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Moves Ahead... Without Cornyn

Article here. Excerpt:

'Some of you may remember the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as a major Biden initiative from before he was cool (and by cool I mean Vice President). The National Organization for Women called it "the greatest breakthrough in civil rights for women in nearly two decades." Phyllis Schlafley called it proof "that the feminists control the Democratic Party." So you can guess where John Cornyn stands.
Last week, VAWA came up in the Senate Judiciary Committee for reauthorization. And while the Democrats on the committee voted it to the floor unanimously, Cornyn joined his Republican brethren in doing just the opposite. Fortunately, despite their best efforts, it's still moving on to a full floor vote.

Cornyn and the other Republicans on the committee tried to play down their opposition by pointing out that they supported an alternative of the bill. This "more fiscally responsible" alternative included things like shutting down the Office of Violence Against Women. And the version that did pass - they one they thought was too expensive - is already $135 million cheaper than the 2005 version. As with many other issues, this is the first time it's gotten really partisan. VAWA was passed in 1994 and has been reauthorized twice with bipartisan support.'