S.Res. 373Senate109th Congress (2005-2007)In Committee

A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Senate should continue to support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a critical national resource that saves lives each day, and commemorate its 10th anniversary.

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1436)

Judiciary Committee

February 16, 2006

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

February 16, 2006

SenateIntro Referral

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1436-1437)

February 16, 2006

SenateIntro Referral

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1436)

Judiciary Committee

February 16, 2006

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1 member

What members said about S.Res. 373 on the floor

1 Democrat

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.D-DE · Feb 16, 2006

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senators Cornyn, Hutchison, Hatch, Specter, Leahy and Kennedy to submit a Resolution commemorating the 10th anniversary of a critical American…

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senators Cornyn, Hutchison, Hatch, Specter, Leahy and Kennedy to submit a Resolution commemorating the 10th anniversary of a critical American resource--the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Operating 24 hours a

day, 365 days every year, in more than 140 different languages, with a TTY line available for the deaf, the Hotline offers confidential and anonymous help for victims of domestic violence, their families and friends.

Located in Austin, TX, the National Domestic Violence Hotline was created in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. As I began to draft that Act over 15 years ago, I held many Congressional hearings and listened to hours of testimony from experts about how to craft an effective, coordinated community response to battering. One of the realities that was raised over and over in those hearings was how very difficult it was, and still is, for a battered woman to admit the abuse. It was, and still is, very difficult for a battered woman to report the abuse to the police or local prosecutor. In the Violence Against Women Act we created a safe haven--a place to talk about the abuse that offered lots of solutions and total anonymity, the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

On February 21, 1996, the Hotline answered its first call, and since then has received over 1.5 million calls. Today, Hotline advocates answer as many as 600 calls per day and an average of 16,500 calls per month from women, men and children across the nation. These are real lives that have been dramatically changed by their first call to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Over 60 percent of the Hotline callers report that this is their very first attempt to deal with the abuse--they hadn't told a friend yet, or reported it to the police.

Each day Hotline advocates listen and respond to heart-wrenching pleas for help and information, and each day they offer their callers hope and help. I am pleased that the Senate can recognize their hard work with today's Senate Resolution commemorating its 10th anniversary. It is but a small token of this body's gratitude for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

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Introduced in SenateIssued February 16, 2006

III

109th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. RES. 373

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 16, 2006

Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Senate should continue to support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a critical national resource that saves lives each day, and commemorate its 10th anniversary.

Whereas 2006 marks the 10th year that the Hotline has been answering calls and saving lives;

Whereas, 10 years ago this month, the Hotline answered its first call;

Whereas the Hotline is a project of the Texas Council on Family Violence headquartered in Austin, Texas, and provides crisis intervention, information, and referral to victims of domestic violence, their friends, and their families;

Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year;

Whereas the Hotline provides its users with anonymous assistance in more than 140 different languages, and a telecommunications device for the deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing;

Whereas the Hotline was created by Congress in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–322; 108 Stat. 1902);

Whereas Congress continues its commitment to families of the United States by strengthening and renewing this important legislation in 2000 and most recently in December, 2005;

Whereas, since taking its first call in 1996, the Hotline has answered over 1,500,000 calls;

Whereas, since its inception, the Hotline has become a vital link to safety for victims of domestic violence and their families;

Whereas today, Hotline advocates answer as many as 600 calls per day and an average of 16,500 calls per month from women, men, and children from across the United States;

Whereas, as public awareness grows about domestic violence, the Hotline has seen a significant increase in call volume, with calls to the Hotline increasing by 200 percent over the last 10 years;

Whereas, because no victim should ever get a busy signal, the Hotline recently unveiled cutting edge technology that will allow more victims to connect to life saving services; and

Whereas the 10th anniversary of the Hotline marks a true partnership between the Federal Government and private businesses as each has come together in a collaborative effort to save lives: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate should—

(1)

continue to support the National Domestic Violence Hotline; and

(2)

commemorate the 10th anniversary of this critical national resource that saves lives each day.