By Leah Dearborn

Barack Obama reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday after a period of entanglement with party politics that prevented the bill from moving forward. The Act, first signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1994, is designed to provide support for victims of domestic violence. The Huffington Post reports:

The law authorizes some $659 million a year over five years for programs that strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to crimes against women and some men, such as transitional housing, legal assistance, law enforcement training and hotlines. One element of this year’s renewal focuses on ways to reduce sexual assault on college campuses. It also reauthorizes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, adds stalking to the list of crimes that make immigrants eligible for protection and authorizes programs to reduce the backlog in rape investigations.

Republicans objected to the bill on the grounds of additional provisions written in extending the rights of tribal authorities as well as gays, lesbians, and immigrants.

A recent, controversial photo essay published by Time Magazine serves as a poignant reminder of why the VAWA is still necessary legislature, nearly 2 decades after the bill’s original passage.

Support the Violence Against Women Act!