Jane Velez-Mitchell

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Editor’s Note: Tanya Young Williams is a TV personality, celebrity spokeswoman for the National Domestic Violence Hotline and an advocate for victims of domestic violence. She is the estranged wife of former NBA star Jayson Williams. She is on Twitter. 

The Republican-held House passed the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, sending it to President Obama for his signature on Thursday after months of bipartisan back-and-forth.

The reauthorization is hailed as a landmark decision for providing protection to all victims of sexual and domestic violence including same-sex couples, transgender people, immigrants and Native Americans. The newly-passed bill is aimed at reducing domestic abuse and sexual violence by improving the criminal justice response to offenders, strengthening punishments for repeat offenders and focusing on sexual assault prevention.