By By Jo Bonner
The Violence against Women Act reauthorization, H.R. 3402, was signed by President Bush last week.
I was a cosponsor of similar legislation in the House, and I was pleased to see this important legislation become law.
It extends the good work started with the passage of the original Violence against Women Act of 1994 by extending core programs and adding new, stricter provisions.
Specifically, the act:
I am proud to have voted for this important legislation that will help continue the progress made in the fight against domestic violence and provide new tools to end this vicious cycle.
Battleship Memorial Park reopens
On Monday, one of Alabama's top tourist attractions – Battleship Memorial Park – was reopened to the public.
Hurricane Katrina caused more than $4 million worth of damage to the park, which had to remain closed for the past four months so that repairs could be made.
The 680-foot long, 80-million pound World War II battleship – USS Alabama – was left listing at 8 degrees.
I was honored to join the many south Alabamians at the rechristening of this great battleship.
Thanks to the hard work of so many, future generations will now have the opportunity to see first-hand this source of pride for so many not only across Alabama but throughout our nation.
20 meetings set for January
I am pleased to announce that my staff and I have scheduled an upcoming series of town meetings later this month. These meetings are scheduled to begin on Monday, January 23, and will continue through Thursday, January 26.
Coming back to south Alabama from our nation's capital gives me the opportunity to hear directly from my constituents about their thoughts and concerns on the news coming out of Washington.
Over the years, many of you have provided helpful comments and suggestions on some of the issues that will directly affect you and your family.
As I have said so often, many of the good ideas developed to confront the challenges facing this country today more often than not don't come out of Washington, D.C.!
As we progress further into this new session of Congress, I look forward to continuing with this successful series of town meetings. I hope each of you will take the opportunity to find the meeting closest to your home and come out to visit with my staff and me.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
My staff and I work for you. Please call if we can be of service.
Jo Bonner is a U.S. congressman. His column appears weekly.