Violence Against Women Act Returns to the Senate

At last, the Senate is poised to renew the Violence Against Women Act, a bill that Republicans thwarted last year over provisions for abused illegal immigrants, LGBT couples and Native Americans.

On the vote on the motion to proceed earlier this week, only eight far-right Republicans — including Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio — voted against even debating the bill.

The updated version of the legislation, which was first passed in 1994 and expired in 2011, is expected to be approved today. The bill has the support of 60 senators — enough to dodge another potential Republican filibuster.