On the eve of the signing of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) visited the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence (NJCEDV) in Hamilton to announce that the organization will receive a federal grant of $91,641 through the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ).  

   “The New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence is a lifeline for women and children across our state who have been victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and violence,” said Smith, author of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA/ P.L. 106-386) which first authorized the grant program. “NJCEDV’s mission is to end violence against women and its work is critical to ensuring women and their families, particularly during a crisis, have the resources necessary—and readily available—to break the cycle of domestic violence.”

   This grant program supports state coalition efforts to coordinate victim services, including rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters, and assist their members in: developing appropriate standards of care; conducting statewide, regional and/or community-based meetings or workshops; bringing local programs together to identify gaps in services; and increasing the representation of underserved populations in coordination activities.

   The funding for the State Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions grant program was established by Division B of Smith’s TVPA law, which provided the first reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA helped draw national attention to the epidemic of domestic violence and invested significant resources to prevent domestic abuse, assist the women and children who fall victim to it, and improve the judicial system’s response.

   Smith met with Nicole Morella, the Director of Public Policy and Communications and other NJCEDV staff to discuss their operations at the organization's offices on White Horse-Hamilton Square Road in Hamilton, the new funding and an upcoming conference they are hosting on Thursday intended to bring together a coalition of New Jersey stakeholders, including law enforcement, prosecution, health care, and other partners, to better collaborate on innovative intervention services, prevention strategies, policy perspectives, and more.

   “Jane and Nicole are in the trenches; they act as the first line of defense for victims—helping to ensure women and their children can access resources and have a place to go to safely escape abuse,” Smith said. “Their dedication and commitment—and that of everyone working here and their partners in the coalition—plays a key role in our fight to end these crimes and the exploitation of women and children that remains all too prevalent in our modern day society.”

   In addition to offering the legislation authorizing this grant, Smith has consistently supported VAWA—voting seven times to reauthorize its critical programs; cosponsored the legislation that authorized the Office on Violence Against Women; and supported funding for these programs over 40 times. 

   Smith has also led in Congress on additional efforts to better protect women and children who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, human trafficking, and sex tourism, including most recently authoring the International Megan’s Law—which was signed in to law on February 8, 2016 (Public Law 114-119), Nicole’s Law (H.R. 2120), which would increase access to protection orders, and the Human Trafficking Prioritization Act (H.R. 541) to ensure trafficking victims are not marginalized by unrelated bilateral concerns.

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