Congress Renews Violence Against Women Act

A bill reauthorizing and expanding the Violence Against Women Act will soon reach President Obama's desk.

Today, the House passed the Senate's bipartisan reauthorization of the bill, which extends the 1994 law's protections to immigrants, the LGBT community and Native Americans. The legislation sailed through on a 286-138 vote, with 199 Democrats joining 87 Republicans, and now goes to the White House.

"Renewing this bill is an important step towards making sure no one in America is forced to live in fear, and I look forward to signing it into law as soon as it hits my desk," said Obama in a statement.