Domestic violence victim Amber TaylorKANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
U.S. lawmakers recently reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act that improved protections against women and helped fund those who do the protecting.
But the budget crisis in Washington could cast a shadow over this victory. Some say programs will be reduced or cut because of budget issues in Congress.
When calls for help on domestic violence victims come into a hotline, places like the Hope House provide the immediate assistance women in eastern Jackson County need to get out of danger.
"There's not as much money this time as there was the last time, so we are looking at the program and cutting it back a bit," Hope House Chief Executive Officer Mary Anne Metheny said.
Metheny said it could've been much worse if lawmakers from both sides of the aisle hadn't passed the domestic violence act.
But even with the reauthorization, the budget fight leaves programs like Hope House's services in Independence at risk.
"It had been a two-year grant with a maximum $400,000 this year. We're applying for a three-year grant for $300,000, so it's a little less," Metheny said.
The law will help fund other related services like bringing justice to domestic violence offenders.
"It is a very specialized area of the law. It is important we have prosecutors that know how to prosecute these very specialized cases," Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Kansas City, said Congress and the White House have to reach an accord to avoid hurting domestic violence programs.
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