Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities, and support programs designed to end domestic violence.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored that leadership has brought this resolution, H. Res. 817, to the floor today. I believe that this resolution is important, and this likewise seems to be the case with my colleagues because this resolution has received the support of 57 Democratic and Republican cosponsors. This resolution has been a bipartisan effort. And for fear that I will forget, let me mention now that my colleague, the Honorable Ted Poe, will not be with us today, but he is here in spirit. He suffered the same fate as I; his plane is late in Houston, Texas. I was on the runway for 2 hours. I barely made it, but thank God that I did. I want the Members to know that he is solidly behind this resolution. This resolution, with reference to domestic violence, transcends party affiliation; it transcends ethnicity; it transcends gender; and it transcends the boundaries of human decency.

Many thank you's are in order. I want to thank the President, President Barack Obama, for declaring October National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I would like to thank Speaker Pelosi because she has entered a statement recognizing this as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Congressional Women's Caucus deserves a sound round of thank you's because they have been involved in helping us to raise awareness year-round. I would like to thank Chairman George Miller of the Education and Labor Committee for the outstanding work that he has done in helping us to get this resolution to the floor. His staff has done a stellar job. They have worked with my staff to make sure that the resolution arrived here timely. I would like to thank the ranking member, John Kline, for his work with the Honorable Ted Poe in helping us to get this resolution to the floor.

All of my colleagues are honorable, but I am mentioning Ted in such a way simply because he is not here, and I know his heart is with us. I would like to thank the ranking member who is here today, Representative Judy Biggert, for her help and for her kind words with reference to this resolution and Representative Pierluisi from Puerto Rico for his efforts to help us get this resolution to the floor and for managing this resolution today.

At this time I want to call our attention to some history associated with this issue of domestic violence. Domestic Violence Awareness Month was first observed 22 years ago, and since that time, we've had additional legislation that has come into being that has made a difference with reference to helping us to end domestic violence. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act of 1984 is an important piece of legislation. This piece of legislation helped us to acquire more emergency shelters, crisis prevention programs and community education efforts. It truly has made a difference.

There also has been another piece of important legislation, the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, which created a new culture for the police officers who work these cases and the

judges who hear these cases. These cases at one time were thought to be, unfortunately, family business, and there were too many persons who were involved in the business of law enforcement who did not make it their business. I'm honored that the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 has helped change this culture. I would also mention that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was important because it contained $225 million for violence against women programs. These programs are going to be of great benefit to a good many women.

Domestic violence awareness is growing, but it has not reached a point wherein we can rest on our efforts. At one time it was one of the most underreported crimes in this country. As I indicated, too many police officers, too many judges, too many persons associated with enforcement did not make it their business. And although we have sought to do the business of helping women and men who are victims of domestic violence, there is still much work to be done. One survey indicates that in 1 day, more than 60,000 people received help. However, at the same time, on that same day, 9,000 requests went unanswered. There is still much work to be done. In my State of Texas, the Houston Area Women's Center has indicated that in the year 2008, 136 women were killed by their intimate partners, 11 children were killed, and 96 children lost their parents to domestic violence.

I thank the gentleman for yielding the additional time.

Ninety-six children were killed by domestic violence.

The national data on this is equally as appalling. More than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States every day. One of every four women will experience domestic violence at some point in her lifetime. In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate partner. Women from ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates of domestic violence on a per capita basis. Six of 10 Native American women will be physically assaulted in their lifetimes. Ninety-two percent of homeless women will experience physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lifetimes. Forty to sixty percent of men who abuse women also abuse children.

Millions of children witness every year domestic violence. By at least one estimate, 15.5 million children witness domestic violence.

So we now come to a call to action. We should not allow anyone to have to live in fear within his or her home. We believe that this is an offense that can be eliminated. It will take much effort from us. We here in Congress will have to fund the programs that can make a difference. And without question, programs have been developed that can make a difference. Training is necessary to teach people how to live with each other without abusing each other. The police must enforce the laws, the judges must enforce the laws, and in the end we can live in a world where people can live safely in their homes without fear of being harmed by people that they have great affinity and affection for.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), the

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) along

with 9 other national organizations is heralding the arrival

of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and urging Congress,

members of the media and the public to take a stand against

domestic abuse.

The economic downturn is exacerbating domestic violence,

and victims of domestic abuse urgently need everyone's help.

Although the economy does not cause domestic violence, but in

abusive relationships, factors associated with a bad economy

can increase the frequency and severity of abuse. Job losses,

the lack of affordable health care, the housing crisis and a

host of other conditions are increasing abuse and leaving

survivors with fewer options to escape. The demand for

services is going up, but funding for services is going down.

Governmental entities, corporations and individuals are

tightening their budgets and are funding life-saving programs

at reduced levels across the nation.

In a national census survey conducted by the National

Network to End Domestic Violence, in just one day in 2008

more than 60,000 victims sought services, yet nearly 9,000

requests for services went unmet due to lack of funding.

The most extreme example is California, where the governor

completely eliminated state funding for domestic violence

services. Other states have seen funding reductions, but

California represents the most shocking of these reckless

cuts.

This year, Domestic Violence Awareness Month is

particularly meaningful. The movement against domestic abuse

is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against

Women Act, originally authored by then-Senator Joe Biden.

This year is also the 25th anniversary of the Family Violence

Prevention & Services Act. Both are critical federal laws

that provide funding for services and the justice system's

responses to intimate partner abuse.

These laws have made an amazing difference in our ability

to address domestic violence. Across the country, federal,

state and local laws are working to serve countless survivors

and saving lives, but we need to do more. Still, an average

of three women are murdered daily by someone who says love

you.' This is unacceptable and preventable. Domestic violence

affects us all, and it tears at the fabric of our

communities. Every day, men, women and children experience

the tragic effects of domestic violence.''

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, let us

renew efforts to invest in lifesaving shelters and other

critical domestic violence services like counseling and

emergency hotlines.

Members of Congress and the public can take a stand for

survivors of abuse by supporting the Domestic Violence

Awareness Month Resolution sponsored by Representative Al

Green (D-TX) and Representative Ted Poe (R-TX), which has

received bipartisan support of nearly 60 members of the House

of Representatives.

Sincerely,

Sue Else,

President, National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Rita Smith,

President, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Additional National Organizations Endorsing the Domestic

Violence Awareness Month Resolution: Break the Cycle, Casa De

Esperanza, Congress of American Indians Task Force on

Violence Against Women, Family Violence Prevention Fund,

Legal Momentum, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence,

National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual

Assault, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence,

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 817) supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities, and support programs designed to end domestic violence, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 817 into the Record.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 817, supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States. I would also like to thank Congressman Al Green for bringing this resolution forward. It is an important bill and deserves much attention.

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is recognized in the month of October. As such, communities and many groups hold events to educate the public about the violence that affects millions of women, men and children every single day. Domestic violence advocacy increases awareness and helps battered people seek the help they desperately need.

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another. It is an epidemic that affects men, women and children in every community regardless of age, sex, economic status, nationality or educational background.

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and those who report domestic violence are more likely to commit suicide. In addition, the costs of domestic violence exceed $5.8 billion each year. As evidenced by these staggering statistics, domestic violence has far-reaching effects on society.

When we think of domestic violence, we often think of women being the victims, yet men suffer from domestic violence as well. Male victims are less likely than women to report violence and to seek services due to the stigma associated with being a male victim or concerns about not being believed. Both men and women respond to interpersonal violence with feelings of disbelief, ridicule and shame that only enhance their silence.

Our attention to domestic violence has grown, but we need to do more to raise awareness of this problem because it can serve as a dangerous, never-ending cycle. Whether domestic violence is present in couples or in marriages, children who witness violent behavior are more likely to carry domestic violence into their adult relationships.

Research shows that children witnessing domestic violence and living in an environment where violence occurs may experience some of the same trauma as abused children. They may become fearful, aggressive or withdrawn. Adolescents may exhibit risk-taking behaviors, such as abusing drugs and alcohol, running away, engaging in sexual promiscuity and participating in criminal activity. All of these behaviors have an effect on society as a whole, and we can break the chain of domestic violence through ongoing education and comprehensive universal support.

We must remember that domestic violence victims are our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. Congress must continue to lead in making our Nation aware of domestic violence and its impact on our society. We can galvanize public awareness for victims of domestic violence. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 817.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I do have one additional speaker.

I would like to say that the victims of domestic violence in America--women, men, children--are looking up to us to take the lead, to make sure that this epidemic does not continue. They're particularly vulnerable, and they want us to relate to them; they want us to support them, and the best way we can do that is by being aware and by taking the lead and making sure that there are Federal programs as well as State initiatives that make sense and make a difference.

Without adding anything else, I now yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Texas, Congressman Al Green.

I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote for the resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I rise today in support of House Resolution 817, supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities and support programs designed to end domestic violence.

As the gentleman from Puerto Rico just mentioned, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their partners and children when they become adults. The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year. As evident by these staggering statistics, domestic violence has a far-reaching effect on society.

Let me repeat the definition that the gentleman from Puerto Rico stated: domestic violence is the willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another. It is an epidemic that affects individuals in every community regardless of age, economic status, religion, nationality, educational background or gender.

When we think of domestic violence, we often think of women being victims. However, men are victimized as well, and children are also affected. We think of violence as just violence, not domestic violence. But violence really begins at the home, and it really begins at the back of someone's hand, or whatever, rather than a stranger, and it goes throughout the community. Male victims are less likely to report the violence and seek services due to the stigma associated with being a male victim or not being believed or being denied the status of a victim. But both men and women experience the same dynamics of interpersonal violence, including experiences of disbelief, ridicule and shame that only enhance their silence.

Unfortunately, the youngest victims are the children who witness the abuse. Research has shown that children witnessing domestic violence and living in that environment may experience some of the same trauma as abused children. They may become fearful, aggressive or withdrawn. Adolescents may act out or exhibit risk-taking behaviors. Domestic violence harms the victim, the children, the abuser and the entire health of American families and communities. So we must raise awareness about this issue. The health of our country depends on it.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 817, and I would reserve the balance of my time.

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

I really appreciate the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) being down here and speaking about his bill and about the background of domestic violence because it's been obviously going on for a long time. We have made great strides. As I have witnessed, we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, several times. But it's been a long time coming and a long time to be recognized. And that's why this awareness month is so important so that we can really take a look and see how can we really end this and how can we do it to help the police, the families. But we have got to have the education, I think, that will help to stave that off. And the more we can do to recognize the causes of it and how to deal with it, the better.

I thank the author and I thank the gentleman from Puerto Rico for managing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote for it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution is to remind all of us that domestic violence here in the United States is as prevalent now as it has ever been. Millions of men, women and children across the country are affected by domestic violence each year.

In a day last year more than 60,000 victims sought and received help from domestic violence programs, and due to lack of funding and resources, 8,927 requests were left unmet. Some may even die because of the lack of services counties across the country are unable to provide for families affected by family violence. In Harris county Texas alone, filings for domestic violence are 18 percent above last year and 40 percent more than 2007. These numbers are not only staggering but they are unacceptable.

On October 10th, 2005 in Baltimore, Maryland Yvette Cade's estranged husband, Roger Hargrave, carried a soda bottle filled with gasoline to her work and poured it over her body. As she ran outside, she tripped in the parking lot and he set her on fire. Ms. Cade was attacked three weeks after; Prince George's County District Court Judge Richard Palumbo lifted a protective order against Hargrave. Judge Palumbo is being charged with misconduct, claiming he violated judicial standards when he dismissed the protective order against Hargrave despite Cade's protests. Ms. Cade has third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body and has had over 15 surgeries due to this horrific crime.

On January 29th, 2009 in Houston, Texas a man was accused of killing his estranged girlfriend's mother and then shooting himself. He had been charged with domestic violence days earlier, after he beat his 17- month-old daughter. Elaine Walker was shot trying to protect her daughter when Roydrick Jiles burst into the daughter's home. Auriel Walker had refused to see or talk to Jiles, after he beat her and their child several days before. She tried to stop him from breaking into their home and he then shot Elaine Walker, Auriel's mother. He then abducted his estranged girlfriend and their child until he shot himself.

Both of these stories prove that sometimes there are preliminary warning signs of domestic violence which, if not handled correctly, can often times lead to severe abuse and even death. Approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

Witnessing violence between one's parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults.

We must continue to raise awareness in this country of how common domestic violence is, and without funding and proper resources local governments cannot combat this problem alone. It takes all of us, and informing people of this nationwide problem is the first step. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution to declare October 2009 the twenty-second Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed in 1987. Over these last 22 years, we have made major strides in making Americans safer and more secure and ensuring the victims of violence receive the services they need.

With the support of federal and state funds, the number of domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers and service programs has increased significantly. These shelters offer victims a place to turn for help: for emergency shelter and crisis services, and also for legal assistance, transitional housing, and services for their children.

Not only have we strengthened our laws and justice system, we have also brought together victims advocates. law enforcement, and health care professionals to ensure more effective treatment for victims of domestic violence.

This month is an occasion to recognize dedicated law enforcement officers, special prosecutors, counselors, and shelter programs that understand that ending violence requires the efforts of an entire community. It is also a time to reiterate that domestic violence in any form is a crime. It does not matter whether the abuser is a family member; a current or past spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend; an acquaintance; or a stranger. It is a crime, and it is wrong.

Today, I also commend those who have found the courage to leave an abusive relationship. When individuals get the resources they need, they become strong, and so do their families.

Despite all the gains we have made in reducing domestic violence, we must recognize that the work is not complete; too many are still victims, and too many live in fear on a daily basis. It will take all of us to fulfill the promise to end domestic violence and assault.