Statement by the Vice President on the Signing of the Justice for All Reauthorization Act

Violence against women is straight and simply a crime. We must hold abusers accountable and provide services and closure to survivors. That's why I'm so pleased that the Justice for All Reauthorization Act – signed today – will provide $56 million in funds to further reduce the national backlog of untested rape kits, provide housing protections for victims of domestic violence, expand forensic testing capabilities to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent, and address the training and equipment needs of our Nation's crime labs.  As the author of the Violence Against Women Act, I applaud this bipartisan effort – which is supported by victim advocates, cops, prosecutors, and scientists all over the country – to improve the safety and security of all our citizens.