Tomorrow the Senate will be voting on a very important amendment sponsored by Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA). The amendment will increase the appropriations ceiling by $7 billion, restoring that funding to the committees that have jurisdiction over education, nutrition, social services, energy assistance, Head Start, child care, Meals on Wheels, and many other vital services. These services will otherwise experience significant cuts. Many of the life-saving programs in the Violence Against Women Act — such as emergency shelters for victims of domestic violence, the national domestic violence hotline, and the rape prevention and education program — are in the Labor/HHS appropriations bill and would thus benefit from the Specter-Harkin Amendment. For instance, the $175 million Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) program funds over 2,000 battered women’s shelters nationwide. These shelters serve over 300,000 women, men and children every year. But these same programs must turn away approximately 250,000 people every year because they are full or lack resources. This essential program has never received full funding, and the Specter-Harkin amendment would be crucial to providing additional funds. It would literally save the lives of victims of domestic violence who are fleeing abusive relationships.