Our policy focus areas are determined by our member organizations’ experience of emerging and ongoing needs at the community level. SCCADVASA strives to make sure these needs are heard, understood, and acted upon by our state legislators and congressional delegation.

With the start of the 2023 Legislative Sessions in both South Carolina and at the Federal Level, SCCADVASA will continue our advocacy efforts and monitor the situation at the S.C. State House and in Washington, D.C. Each week, we will provide you with an update on how things are progressing at both the State and Federal level. You will be able to find these in the “News & Updates” section of our website.

Reauthorization of the Family Violence and Prevention Services Act (FVPSA)

FVPSA supports lifesaving services for victims of domestic violence and their children, including emergency shelters, crisis hotlines, counseling, and programs for underserved communities throughout the United States, American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and territories. First authorized in 1984 and administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FVPSA is the only federal funding source dedicated to domestic violence shelters and programs.

  • FVPSA initially expired in 2015
  • Through a significant amount of work and advocacy by our national partners, this reauthorization most made it through the process last Congress
  • Learn more about FVPSA funding and reauthorization from NNEDV here.

In addition to FVPSA, we will also be working at the federal level on administrative advocacy and appropriations to ensure programs and service providers have the resources they need for prevention work and to assist victims/survivors. 

Recent Public Policy Initiatives + Outcomes

The VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) Reauthorization

In 2022, our federal advocacy efforts were focused mainly on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). We are pleased to share that this was passed by Congress on March 10, 2022, as part of the Omnibus Fiscal 2022 spending package.  

The passage of the bill reauthorizes VAWA programs until 2027. This article provides a good overview of what the bill contains and some of the proposed protections that had to be dropped to ensure bipartisan support.

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fix

In 2021, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 with an extraordinary vote of 100-0.

This bill secures billions in funding for victim services and is the first critical step in stabilizing core victim services now and into the future. We are grateful to partners, friends, advocates and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham for your efforts in its passage!

Read the full The National Network to End Domestic Violence Press Release.