Supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week.

Madam Speaker, from February 3, 2009, to March 4, 2009, I missed Roll Call votes 47-96. Unfortunately, I underwent a surgical procedure and was in California recuperating. Had I been here, I would have voted the following:

Roll Call Vote 47: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 82, raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking by establishing January 2009 as National Stalking Awareness Month;

Roll Call Vote 48: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 103, supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week;

Roll Call Vote 49: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 559, The Fair, Accurate, Secure, and Timely (FAST) Redress Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 50: No on the motion to concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 51: Yes on the motion to commit with instructions S. 352, the DTV Delay Act;

Roll Call Vote 52: No on passage of S. 352, the DTV Delay Act;

Roll Call Vote 53: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 738, the Death in Custody Reporting Act;

Roll Call Vote 54: Yes on the motion to instruct conferees on H. R. 1, Making Supplemental Appropriations for Fiscal Year Ending 2009;

Roll Call Vote 55: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 114, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Girls and Women in Sports Day;

Roll Call Vote 56: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 60, Recognizing and commending University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford for winning the 2008 Heisman Trophy and for his academic and athletic accomplishments;

Roll Call Vote 57: No on the motion to table H. Res. 143, Raising a Question of the Privileges of the House;

Roll Call Vote 58: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 128, Honoring Miami University for its 200 years of commitment to extraordinary higher education;

Roll Call Vote 59: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 134, Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India and the positive influence that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi had on Dr. King's work during the Civil Rights Movement;

Roll Call Vote 60: No on agreeing to H. Con. Res. 47, Providing for an adjournment or recess of the two Houses;

Roll Call Vote 61: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 154, Honoring John D. Dingell for holding the record as the longest serving member of the House of Representatives;

Roll Call Vote 62: No on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 448, the Elder Abuse Victims Act;

Roll Call Vote 63: No on the motion to agree to H. Res. 157, providing for the consideration of motions to suspend the rules, and for other purposes;

Roll Call Vote 64: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 117, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week;

Roll Call Vote 65: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 35, Honoring and praising the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 100th anniversary;

Roll Call Vote 66: No on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 168, providing for consideration of the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 67: No on H. Res. 168, providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 68: No on the question of consideration of the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 69: Yes on the motion to recommit the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 70: No on agreeing to the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 71: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules agree to H. Res. 139, Commemorating the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln on the bicentennial of his birth;

Roll Call Vote 72: No on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 911, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act;

Roll Call Vote 73: No on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act;

Roll Call Vote 74: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 601, the Box Elder Utah Land Conveyance Act;

Roll Call Vote 75: No on approving the journal;

Roll Call Vote 76: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act;

Roll Call Vote 77: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 637, the South Orange County Recycled Water Enhancement Act;

Roll Call Vote 78: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 83, Recognizing the significance of Black History Month;

Roll Call Vote 79: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 234, the Colonel John H. Wilson, Jr. Post Office Building;

Roll Call Vote 80: Yes on approving the journal;

Roll Call Vote 81: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 47, Supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day;

Roll Call Vote 82: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 180, Supporting the goals and ideals of the third annual America Saves Week;

Roll Call Vote 83: No on the consideration of H. Res. 184, providing for consideration of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations for 2009;

Roll Call Vote 84: Yes on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 184, providing for consideration of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations for 2009;

Roll Call Vote 85: Yes on H. Res. 184, providing for the consideration of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 86: No on passage of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 87: No on the motion to table H. Res. 189, raising a question of the privileges of the House;

Roll Call Vote 88: No on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 190, providing for consideration of H.R. 1106 to prevent mortgage foreclosures and enhance mortgage credit availability;

Roll Call Vote 89: No on H. Res. 190, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1106 to prevent mortgage foreclosures and enhance mortgage credit availability;

Roll Call Vote 90: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 183, expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of Continental Connection flight 3407;

Roll Call Vote 91: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 146, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act;

Roll Call Vote 92: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 548, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act;

Roll Call Vote 93: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 77, congratulating the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA for more than 100 years of service and leadership to the United States;

Roll Call Vote 94: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 201, recognizing Beverly Eckerts service to the nation and particularly to the survivors and families of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Roll Call Vote 95: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 195, recognizing and honoring the employees of the Department of Homeland Security on its sixth anniversary for their continuous efforts to keep the nation safe; and

Roll Call Vote 96: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 45, raising awareness and promoting education on the criminal justice system by establishing March as National Criminal Justice Month.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 103) supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 103 designates this week, February 2 through February 6, as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. It is designed to bring public attention to the problem of teen dating violence, and the need for more effective prevention and deterrence.

According to the recent report by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, approximately one in three adolescent girls in the United States becomes a victim of emotional, verbal, or physical abuse from a dating partner. This alarming statistic far exceeds rates at which other types of violence are affecting youth in this country.

The study also find that girls exposed to dating violence are more likely to be subjected to other forms of violence. These victims are also more likely to engage in unsafe sexual activity, to have a higher incidence of substance abuse, and to have thought about or attempted suicide, than boys or girls that have not been abused.

The study revealed that most victims of dating violence are subject to multiple acts of violence and aggressive behavior, which increases in frequency and intensity. For example, 63 percent of young people who reported having been slapped, hit, or kicked by their partner indicated that the abuse occurred on two or more occasions.

Teenage girls are more likely than adult women to be victims of dating violence, and are more likely to be injured as a result of that violence.

With deaths and injuries resulting from teen dating violence on the increase, we must recognize this type of behavior as a crime as well as a serious public health concern. We must ensure that our young people are made aware of the seriousness of these offenses. And ensure that our laws provide an effective deterrent.

Today's resolution should encourage families and communities around the country to educate their young people about this problem, and to seek their help in preventing it. I'd like to commend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for his leadership in introducing this resolution. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Madam Speaker, again we've been lectured on economic theories. And we agree that there is a significant difference between the two sides on economic theory. And we've been begged to adopt the economic theory proposed by those on the other side.

I would just want to inquire exactly what result they like as a result of their economic theories? We've heard about paying the mortgage with the credit card. Well, the result in the economic theory from that side was an elimination of a $5\1/2\ trillion surplus and the creation of a $3\1/2\ trillion deficit mostly created by borrowing from foreign governments. Exactly what part of that is good? What part of job creation is good? Tens of millions of jobs were created under the Democratic economic theories, worse job performance since the Great Depression was under the Republican theories. What is good about that? What is good about income over the last 8 years, median income that has actually gone down? It went up $7,000 a family during the 1990s. It went down over the last 8 years. What is good about that? What is good about the Dow Jones Industrial Average going down? It more than tripled from 1993 through 2000, more than tripled. It has actually gone down. Exactly what is good about that?

We've been lectured over and over again about how great these theories are. Maybe they don't like jobs. Maybe they like a deficit. Maybe they like incomes going down or the Dow Jones Industrial Average going down. I would like to see the Dow Jones Industrial Average go up, income go up, surplus rather than deficits and jobs created. But we will let the people decide.

In the meantime, we would like to thank the gentleman from Georgia for introducing the National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week and hope that we will adopt the resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of this resolution, which supports the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. I want to commend the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for sponsoring this legislation.

This nationwide effort seeks to increase public awareness and educate citizens about the prevalence of dating violence. The Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative was spearheaded by teenagers across the Nation who chose to take a stand and put a stop to teen dating violence. The Initiative began in 2004, and is now supported by over 50 national, State, and local organizations.

The call to end teen dating violence was formally recognized by the House in 2006. Including today, this body has three times designated the first week in February ``National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week'' in an effort to bring more public awareness to a problem confronting today's teens.

Last year, an organization called Teen Research Unlimited surveyed parents, teens, and tweens--tween is someone between 11 and 14, Madam Speaker--about dating violence. The results of this poll demonstrated the depth of the problem of teen dating violence.

According to the poll, one in five teens who have been in a serious relationship report being struck in anger--either kicked, hit, slapped or punched--by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Further, one in three girls who have been in serious relationships say they have been concerned about being physically hurt by the individual that they are concerned about.

However, dating violence among children is not limited to physical, emotional, and sexual assault. It can also take on the form of harassment via computer or cell phone text messaging or e-mail. In fact, 40 percent of the tweens who have dated now know friends who have been called names, put down, or insulted via cell phones or social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week provides an opportunity for parents to engage their children about dating violence and abusive relationships. The Teen Research Unlimited poll indicates that parents often do not know that their children are in relationships, let alone abusive relationships.

More than three times as many tweens--20 percent--as parents--six percent--admit that parents know little or nothing about the dating relationships of those tweens.

I encourage parents to use this week to talk with their children about dating and violence. To start the dialog, parents or teens can call the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 866-331-9474. The Helpline promotes awareness of healthy dating relationships by making vital resources available to help teens experiencing dating violence and abusive relationships.

I encourage my colleagues to support this House resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).

I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Fleming).

Madam Speaker, we have no other speakers on this bill. I urge its adoption. Once again, I want to thank Mr. Lewis from Georgia for sponsoring this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, we must pass House Resolution 103 and bring awareness to an often overlooked yet extremely dangerous issue.

As a parent, I know the dangers my children faced when they were growing up. I often lost sleep worrying that something would happen to one of my kids that was beyond my control. It was part of the reason I decided to run for Congress.

Today, more than ever, we need to make people aware of the dangers our children face, we never did. Children have such broad access to information that it ages them in ways still not fully understood.

They look at their favorite movie or TV stars and want to emulate them. They research adult topics on the Internet and share information through cell phones and facebook with their friends. They feel because they know things they view as adult, they are adults. Parents do not discuss regularly enough drug use, domestic violence or sex with their children.

This legislation will set aside a week to help foster discussion between the parent and the child, which is the number one way to prevent the awful outcomes which have become far too common on our daily news. This resolution will also bring attention to this matter and would let Americans know that this issue is serious.

The statistics are staggering: one out of every eleven adolescents have reported they have been the victim of a physical abuse. Of the teenagers who are in ``serious relationships'' one in five have reported being abused in some way. Our children are trying to be like us and in the process they are growing up far too fast. The scariest statistic is, of children who are between the age of 11 and 12, the youngest of our teens, has been or knows someone who has been abused. This is a true travesty.

We can no longer sit by and reminisce about the golden age of child rearing. Children can not be left alone and can expect to turn out like we did. As Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I have worked tirelessly to ensure all America's children can lead safe and productive lives. We must ensure they get the right start.

This resolution will not only prevent our children from living through a terrible ordeal, but it will also help curtail future attacks. Evidence exists showing the severity of domestic violence among a couple is far greater if there is a pattern of abuse from early on in the abuser's life. We have a duty to protect our children and we have a duty to protect our fellow citizens and assure the right to live in peace.

Proclaiming this week National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week will show how serious this issue is and continue the discussion which has already begun in many homes. This resolution will also expand the discussion to many homes in the district I represent as well as the rest of the country. We must pass this resolution today and send a clear message to our fellow citizens that this issue will not go away.

Madam Speaker, I urge its immediate passage so we can begin to solve a problem that's gone unchecked far too long. We can make a difference in these and future young adults. The time to act is now.

Madam Speaker, it has been my privilege to serve alongside the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) who I admire. The man is a legend and a great leader in the civil rights movement. He is a thoughtful man with a good heart and sincere principles. These are sincere, earnest differences of principle here, Mr. Lewis. We have deep concern for the future course of the Nation, the financial solvency of the country. And it is a source of real concern to us. Teen violence is a source of concern, but I have to tell you, the reason we are speaking out here today is we have had so little opportunity to speak out in committee. There has been so little debate in committee and on this floor of this massive spending bill, not enough time to educate the American public about the details of the bill because it was dropped on us with so little notice, written largely in secret, dropped into the Appropriations Committee and the Ways and Means Committee without much notice to the public, without an opportunity for them to scrutinize it.

We are spending $1.3 trillion in 17 legislative days when the annual discretionary budget of the United States is about $900 billion, prepared very thoughtfully and carefully over many months by the Appropriations Committee with hundreds of hearings and witnesses and thoughtful deliberation. All of us want to see this economy get back on track and get us out of the ditch, but it is just self-evident that in 17 legislative days, with a few hours of committee hearing, a few hours of floor debate, for this liberal majority in Congress to spend $1.3 trillion, and then the very best we have heard is you guys hope it is going to work, it is not enough.

As the gentleman from Utah said quite eloquently, we are living on a national credit card. This is like we are paying the mortgage with a MasterCard. I think it was Winston Churchill who said for a nation to attempt to tax and spend its way into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket attempting to lift himself up. This is not the way for this Nation to get the economy moving again.

We as a fiscally conservative minority have come together to stand behind a package of tax cuts that would immediately allow people to spend and invest their own money, to save or to spend it, to create jobs as they wish. We as a fiscally conservative minority have few opportunities in the House to speak directly to the American people, so this opportunity we have here today to talk about teen violence and to think about the safety and security of future generations is one of the few opportunities we have, Mr. Lewis, to lay out in all sincerity a very earnest and heartfelt, principle-based difference of opinion with the liberal majority, that we want to see this Nation succeed and be prosperous. And we know in our hearts, common sense tells us, that the way to prosperity is not through more spending based on debt. The way back to prosperity is by cutting profligate spending and cutting taxes so the American people have more of their own money to invest and save and to create jobs for the future.