Joe Manchin III on Families & Children Democratic Jr Senator; previously Governor

Opposes gay marriage personally, but accepts as settled law

Joe Manchin (D): Opposes personally, but accepts as settled law.

Patrick Morrisey (R): No. "Disappointed" with legalization.

5 basic promises to our children: healthy, safe, cared-for

I want my administration to be remembered for fighting hard everyday to keep five basic promises to our children.
• The 1st promise: Every child should have a caring adult in their lives.
• The 2nd promise: Every child should have a safe place. And that is not always their home. It could be their church and in more cases than not it's their school.
• The 3rd promise: Every child should have a healthy start. I am proposing a 3-part Healthy Start Initiative that will give our children the skills they need to fight the growing epidemics of childhood obesity, Type II Diabetes and heart disease.
• The 4th promise: Every child should have a marketable skill. Some students would excel with a 2-year community college degree or specialized technical school training, and we should give those options equal attention when talking with today's students.
• And the 5th promise: Every child should be taught to be a caring adult and be given an opportunity to serve their communities.

More funding & services for victims of domestic violence.

Introduction by co-sponsor Sen. Kay Hagan (D,NC):
We have a serious responsibility to ensure that women and families are protected. The rates of violence and abuse in our country are astounding and totally unacceptable: domestic violence affects more than 12 million people each year. In my home state, 73 women and children are killed on average every year because of domestic violence.

Since 1994, the STOP Program has provided grants for services, training, officers, and prosecutors, and has transformed our criminal justice system and victim support services. And this bill includes the bipartisan SAFER Act, which helps fund audits of untested DNA evidence and reduces this backlog of rape kits. I ask you: What other victims in America have to identify the attacker before authorities will take action? None.Introduction by Sen. Chuck Grassley(R,IA):
I urge my Republican colleagues, as I will do, to support the motion to proceed. There has long been bipartisan support for the Violence Against Women Act. Too many women are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence. There is overwhelming bipartisan support for 98% of what is contained in S. 47. [Since our negative vote last session], controversial provisions have been removed. The key stumbling block to enacting a bill at this time is the provision concerning Indian tribal courts. Negotiations are continuing, and compromises would allow the bill to pass with overwhelming bipartisan support. Introduction by Sen. Pat Leahy (D,VT):
Our bill will allow services to get to those in the LGBT community who have had trouble accessing services in the past. The rates of domestic and sexual violence in these communities are equal to or greater than those of the general population. We also have key improvements for immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.