Nevada Senator Ratti honored for contributions to domestic and sexual violence survivors during Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) is underway and agencies across the country are taking note. The Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCEDSV) held its annual award program to kick it off. They enthusiastically honored Senator Julia Ratti.
Attorney General Aaron Ford heralded Ratti’s commitment at a time when Nevada is ranked third in the country per capita for domestic violence homicides against women. The Senator was presented the award by another former capital colleague, Yvanna Canela. Domestic and Sexual Violence agencies from across the state attended remotely.
“Senator Ratti has been a consistent advocate for those suffering from trauma and abuse,” says Sue Mueschke, NCEDSV Executive Director. “She was instrumental in the recent passage of SB 177. That doubled the surcharge on every marriage license sold to provide additional funding for domestic violence services and the first ever state funding for sexual violence services.” The surcharge was originally assessed 40 years ago and hadn’t seen an increase in a decade.
But Ratti, ever the humanitarian, was juggling concerns about how that increase could affect the wedding economy, which was on its heels due to the pandemic. So, she waited until she felt assured everyone would win. “I’m just so very grateful that we did (it),” Ratti said. She went on to thank others who supported the bill and reflect on its origins four decades ago. “I think there were three women in the entire legislature at the time, and as you can imagine the conversation about domestic violence and sexual assault was very different. So maybe the highlight of my senate judiciary career was being up there with two people; one was Lt. Gov. Sue Wagner who got to testify about the history and what that was like 40 years ago, and the second was a survivor.”
Throughout October NCEDSV will highlight different aspects of domestic violence on their various social media networks. They will also promote ways Nevadans can help those in need. Click here to see events across the state and stay informed!
About NCEDSV
The Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (previously The Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence), is the statewide coalition of domestic and sexual violence programs. NCEDSV provides statewide advocacy, education and support to the front-line organizations that help those impacted by domestic and sexual violence. To learn more about services provided by NCEDSV, visit ncedsv.org