Expressing support for designation of May as "Child Advocacy Center Month" and commending the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on their 25th anniversary in 2010.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1313, recognizing the month of May as Child Advocacy Center Month and commending the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on its 25th anniversary. Recognizing Child Advocacy Center Month allows us not only to raise awareness around the abuse and neglect that many of our children face every day, but also recognize the important work that child advocacy centers do in providing training, prevention, intervention, and treatment services to combat child abuse and neglect so that our Nation's children can live without fear.

Child abuse may include physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse; and often children are victims of multiple forms of abuse. Statistics show that one in four girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused before age 18. This saddening number highlights the need for child advocacy centers and will provide a place for various members from the community to provide the abused child with appropriate treatment and prevent further victimization while also deciding the best ways to investigate and prosecute child abuse cases.

In May of 1985, the National Child Advocacy Center opened in Huntsville, Alabama. It was the first center to utilize the resources of not only law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, but also child protective services and medical and mental health professionals in one comprehensive group.

In the 25 years since the creation of the Child Advocacy Center model, more than 900 centers have followed in those important first footsteps. Research has shown that education and support for communities has been successful in preventing child abuse. Therefore, it is imperative that, as members of the community, we know how we can help prevent and stop ongoing child abuse. Child advocacy centers provide an important element in these prevention activities. This is why I stand in support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I think one of the greatest tragedies in America today is child abuse. The stories that you read, the horrific stories that you read in the newspapers, to me, are beyond comprehension when you see children die or children are abused. And this abuse will affect them--I have seen this as a physician--30, 40, 50 years after the abuse. I find it incomprehensible that an adult or anyone would abuse a child. You're only a child for a very short time in your life. I was blessed with a loving mother and father to be raised with, so I can't comprehend the situation that many children find themselves.

I want to encourage our colleagues, I want to thank all of the people in this country who get up every day and deal with these tragedies. This is very hard for the caregivers and people who deal with this--law enforcement personnel, the nurses, the doctors, the social workers who deal with this on a daily basis. It's difficult for them, too.

From the bottom of my heart, I absolutely support this, and I want to encourage everyone in this House to wholeheartedly support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1313) expressing support for designation of May as ``Child Advocacy Center Month'' and commending the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on their 25th anniversary in 2010.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 1313 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1313, which supports the designation of the month of May as Child Advocacy Center Month and commends the National Child Advocacy Center for 25 years of service and leadership in confronting the epidemic of child abuse.

Tragically, Mr. Speaker, five children die each day as a result of child abuse and neglect in the United States of America. In 2008, a total of 1,740 children died as a result of such abuse. The National Child Advocacy Center provides critical training, prevention intervention, and treatment services to fight this urgent national problem.

In May of 1985, the National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama, was founded by a young district attorney from Madison County named Robert Cramer, Jr. Mr. Cramer--who went on to be a Member of the House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009--organized the center to improve assistance to abused children and work to end child abuse.

Since then, the National Children's Advocacy Center has become a national leader for training child abuse specialists since their doors opened. After that, the center has trained more than 54,000 professionals from the United States and 20 other countries altogether. The work of the center has helped many children overcome the emotional distress that results from the frightening experience of abuse. This year, child advocacy centers nationwide will celebrate over 25 years of providing invaluable service to the hundreds of thousands of child abuse victims each year, which is an opportunity for us all to recognize the contributions of child advocacy centers.

Mr. Speaker, I express my support for Child Advocacy Center Month and thank Representative Griffith for bringing the bill forward. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I once again want to thank Representative Griffith for bringing this bill forward, and I thank Representative Roe for his support of this initiative. I support it, and I ask my colleagues to join me in support of Resolution 1313.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.