House Democrats Seek to Expand Domestic-Violence Bill

WASHINGTON—House Democrats' effort to prevent domestic abusers from possessing guns has roiled debate over a landmark domestic-violence bill that typically secures bipartisan support.

The Democratic-led House on Thursday passed its own version of the Violence Against Women Act, a law enacted in 1994 to provide funding for battered-women's shelters and other programs to prevent domestic violence and bolster its prosecution. A group of 33 House Republicans voted with all but one Democrat to pass it in the 263-158 vote.