RALEIGH — U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan said there's an urgent need for Congress to approve the bill that reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act.

Hagan, D-N.C., will hold a conference call Tuesday to discuss the bill. Also on the call will be Monika Johnson Hostler, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Sgt. Darrell Price of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit will discuss how the act has helped combat domestic violence and sexual assault in North Carolina.

The act became law in 1994 and was extended in 2000 and 2005. When it expired in 2011, the House and Senate weren't able to resolve differences. Democrats last week sought to overcome Republican objections by removing a provision that would increase visas for immigrant victims of domestic abuse.