LAS VEGAS (AP) — The sister and longtime political adviser of former Vice President Joe Biden met Monday with advocates for victims of domestic violence while in Nevada to campaign for her brother.
Valerie Biden Owens toured a women and children's shelter in Las Vegas and held a discussion with advocates to talk about the 1990 Violence Against Women Act, which the Democratic presidential candidate authored as a Delaware senator.
The 25-year-old legislation lapsed in February and is up for renewal. It's among a host of legislation that's awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate.
Biden, while chairing the Senate's Judiciary committee, heard stories of domestic violence and was outraged, his sister said.
"He got it and he understood, and he said something has to be done about it. We still need to do a lot more about it," Biden Owens said.
Biden Owens met with groups in Nevada that support victims and receive funding through the Violence Against Women Act to learn how it benefits them. She also asked what changes they would like to see so she can pass them on to her brother if he's elected president next year.
She planned later Monday to attend the opening of an office in Henderson for her brother's presidential campaign.
In addition to campaigning on behalf of the former vice president, Biden Owens has a connection to Nevada. She serves on the board of the public policy institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, that's co-chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner.