History of the Battered Women's Movement in Texas 1875 Martha ...

History of the Battered Women’s Movement in Texas1991 The Legislature nearly doubled the FVP budget to $9.1 million. Governor Ann Richardssigned Senate Concurrent Resolution 26, enabling the governor to grant clemency to womenwho have been imprisoned for crimes relating to their experiences as battered women. TCFVwon the elite ATOR Legal Improvement Award, administered by the University of HoustonLaw Center. The award honors a group or individual that has had "the greatest impact … inbettering society in the State of Texas by encouraging or causing a change of law or in theadministration of justice."1993 Funding for the FVP remained at $9.1 million per year, despite significant decreases for mostother human services programs. Contracts with shelters increased to 58. The Legislatureincreased the allocation for the BIPP to $500,000 per year.1994 Sixty shelters were contracted with the FVP, which received $9.1 million from theLegislature. Lt. Governor Bob Bullock appointed the Senate Interim Committee on DomesticViolence to study Texas' response to domestic violence and make recommendations to theLegislature. The BIPP contracted with 20 local programs to work with abusive men.1995 During the 74th Legislative Session, TCFV experienced unprecedented success with thepassage of 98 percent of its legislative agenda. In collaboration with the Community JusticeAssistance Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, TCFV monitored theimplementation of new program standards and guidelines for state-funded BIPPs.1996 The FVP received a record $10.3 million and contracted with 63 shelters. TCFV opened theNational Domestic Violence Hotline (800/799-SAFE) on February 21, with a $1 million grantfrom the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Hotline answered 8,000 callseach month in its first year. Through the generosity of donors, TCFV distributed 100 state-ofthe-artPolaroid Spectra Law Enforcement Camera Kits to member programs. Thesophisticated equipment documents battered women's injuries with photographs that mayassist local law enforcement throughout the state in prosecuting family violence perpetrators.1997 The 75th Texas Legislature increased the FVP budget by $2.3 million per year, bringing thetotal to $25.2 million for the 1998-99 biennium. The BIPP budget also increased to a record$1.4 million for the biennium. On April 1, 160 Silent Witnesses -- life-sized, woodensilhouettes bearing the names and stories of Texas woman who died as a result of familyviolence -- were unveiled during a march to the State Capitol in Austin. Hundreds ofadvocates from all over Texas and the 160 Silent Witnesses participated in the NationalMarch to End the Silence About Domestic Violence in Washington, D.C. on October 18.During a White House ceremony on May 21, Vice President Al Gore unveiled new postagestamp booklets imprinted with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's toll-free numbers.1997 TCFV's National Domestic Violence Hotline (800/799-SAFE) answered its 100,000th call onApril 19.