Cass's Law

On February 13, we had the honor of being invited to share some of our story on the Channel 12, Noon News, with Linda Watkins Bennett. We are very grateful to Linda, and the Channel 12 news team, for their interest and support. For those who are interested and missed the broadcast, a link to the news segment is: https://www.actionnewsnow.com//New-Non-profit-Launched-to-

Cass, and her niece, Tonya, sit astride Cass's horse Marr-Zaar.

Political Grandstanding Takes Its Toll: Violence Against Women Act Expires Because Of Government Shutdown December 24, 20183:21 PM ET ... Jenny Gathright | NPR The partial shutdown of the U.S. government, which is affecting more than 800,000 federal workers and numerous government agencies, also has consequences for the Violence Against Women Act, which expired at midnight on Friday [Dec.21st]. Separately, both the House and the Senate passed spending deals that included clauses that would have extended VAWA until Feb. 8. But because the law's future became inextricably tied to the larger budget debate, which hinges on a dispute between Democrats and Republicans over funding for a border wall, it was not reauthorized. VAWA funds and administers numerous programs assisting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Its expiration does not prevent all of these programs from being administered according to The Washington Post, grants already awarded under the law will not be affected. But future payment requests from programs that receive VAWA funding will be delayed until the law is reauthorized. According to Roll Call, the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services administer most VAWA programming. Some VAWA programs that HHS administers may continue to receive funding even though VAWA expirations have expired; Congress approved fiscal 2019 funding for HHS in September. But funding for the Department of Justice is tied to the current budget debate. In a letter she sent to House Speaker Paul Ryan in September, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi criticized Republicans for only pursuing short-term reauthorization of VAWA. When the act was set to expire earlier this year on Sept. 30, it was extended until Dec. 7. And before it expired on Dec. 7, it was once again extended by a short-term bill. That extension ran out on Dec. 21 as the government went into its partial shutdown. In her letter, Pelosi references a bill introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, in July. The bill extends and expands VAWA, introducing additional measures that prohibit the sale of firearms to people subject to protection orders and to persons convicted of stalking. Roll Call reported earlier this month that the gun-related clauses were the likely reason no Republicans supported Jackson Lee's bill. It was never brought to the House floor. In September, 46 House Republicans signed a letter addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, urging them to reauthorize VAWA. "This is not a partisan issue," the letter says. "VAWA has been continually reauthorized on a bipartisan basis in Congress. We must act now to maintain and strengthen this critical law." The letter did not encourage the adoption of a specific bill.

Cass’s Law is a Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation, registered with the California Secretary of State, Registration No. 4142205. Registration with the Federal Internal Revenue Service, for recognition as a nonprofit entity, under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) is pending. Cass’s Law is a sponsored program under the auspices of North Valley Community Foundation. And we are deeply grateful to them for their help and support. The organization is named to honor the lif...Continue reading

To the Attention of the Honorable Judge of the Butte County Superior Court: RE: Considerations in the Sentencing of Christopher Warren Swihart for the Murder of Cass J. Edison I am writing this letter in an effort to define and give expression to the impact on my children and myself; on my family and ultimately on our community, of the brutal murder of Cass Edison carried out by Christopher Warren Swihart. In order to do that, there first needs to be a bit of backgro...Continue reading

NOTICE!! Important Announcement! The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was due to expire on 30 September 2018 and will lapse if not renewed by Congress before 7 December 2018. The Violence Against Women Act was first proposed by then-Senator Joe Biden in 1993 and signed into law in 1994. It provided significant federal funding for services offered to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, created the Office on Violence Against Women within the Justice Department, enhanced...Continue reading