Raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking by establishing January 2009 as "National Stalking Awareness Month".

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 yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I'm proud to have introduced House Resolution 82, establishing January as National Stalking Awareness Month.

I hope this resolution serves as a unifying force for the community leaders,

policy-makers, and victim service providers. The goal of this resolution is to raise awareness and encourage prevention of stalking by establishing January 2009 as National Stalking Awareness Month.

Stalking, conduct intended to instill fear in a victim, is a crime that occurs in every State in our country. As the cochair and founder of the Congressional Victims Rights Caucus, I have spoken to countless victims and victim service providers about the dangers of stalking and the tragedies that have occurred in their lives.

A January 2009 report from the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics found that during a 1-year period an estimated 3,400,000 people in America reported being stalked. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, this is an increase of 2 million victims per year in the last decade. These statistics are a jarring reminder of the scope and seriousness of this crime.

The Department's study also found that nearly three out of four victims knew their stalker, and approximately one in four victims reported some form of cyberstalking.

Stalkers pursue and harass their victims and are often relentless. Cyberstalkers systemically flood their target's e-mail inbox with obscene, hateful or threatening messages.

Cyberstalkers may also assume the identity of their victim and post information, fictitious or not, to solicit unwanted responses from other people. Although cyberstalking does not involve physical contact with a victim, it is still a serious crime. The widespread use of the Internet and the ease with which hackers can find personal information has made this form of stalking more accessible to criminals.

By establishing January 2009 as National Stalking Awareness Month, Congress can help to educate Americans about the severity of stalking and encourage victims to report these crimes to the police. We recognize and applaud the many law enforcement agencies and victims' services for their effort to combat stalking and increase awareness of services available to stalking victims.

Stalking has only been criminalized for 28 years. Unlike domestic violence stalking is about power and control over the victim. While stalking is now a crime in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and the Federal Government, stalking often leads to other crimes, including physical assault, sexual assault and sometimes homicide. Stalking laws are basic to the individual right of each person in this country to be left alone and their right of privacy.

The best way to attack the threat of stalking is through law enforcement and education, and I encourage victim service providers, law enforcement prosecutors and community leaders to promote awareness of stalking, and I thank them for their efforts every day in making the lives of victims better.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce). He is the original sponsor of the stalking legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich).

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

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I'd like to refocus. The purpose of this bill has to do with stalking. A few years ago, most of us didn't even know what stalking was. And now, most Americans know someone or personally have been affected by a stalker out there, whether it's a physical stalker or whether it's someone on cyberspace. It has become a growing crime in this country.

Madam Speaker, as I mentioned before, I think the Constitution, in essence, says one thing--that we, as people, as individuals, have the right to be left alone. And criminals who stalk to harass and to put fear in the souls and the minds of individuals should be, of course, prosecuted.

I thank Mr. Royce for his endeavors years ago to make this crime a national crime, and also an awareness of most individuals. So I urge support of this legislation, this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, Judge Poe is exactly right. Our most fundamental right as Americans is the right to be left alone. It is important legislation and appreciate the judge bringing it to us.

We're going to hear from our good friend Congressman Royce in a minute who has been working on this legislation for many years. We will hear from him in just a moment.

I want to make sure, however, we as a Congress are focused on the financial hurricane stalking America just over the horizon. The financial, really if we're not careful, the urgency of this financial hurricane is something we cannot afford to ignore any longer.

We, as a Congress, have as our highest priority again the preservation of the security and financial safety of future generations. We're guardians of the Treasury. We're responsible for ensuring that we're not spending money we don't have; yet this so- called stimulus bill has added to the urgency of this financial hurricane stalk in America.

This $1.3 trillion spending spree that the new liberal majority has engaged has, in fact, created at least 32 new Federal programs at a cost of about $137 billion. This spending spree of $1.3 trillion over these 17 legislative days has a lot more to do with expanding the power base of the liberal majority and growing the Federal Government's power than it does with stimulating the economy.

In my opinion, this legislation will do, in fact, far more to turn America into France ultimately than it will to restore the strength and vibrancy of America's free market economy, and that's the best way to stave off this financial hurricane stalking America today.

We, I think, as fiscal conservatives may be outnumbered today, Madam Speaker, but we have an obligation to stand up and speak out at every opportunity. We are entrusted by our constituents with the responsibility to lay out thoughtful, fiscally responsible alternatives to the profligate spending we see coming from the other side. At a time of real national emergency, when we're seeing disturbing trends in job losses, when average Americans want to make sure that we as a Congress are being only good stewards of their money, well, what are we doing to ensure the security of their next paycheck? What are we doing to reassure Americans that we're doing everything in our power to protect the security of their job, to make sure that they don't have fear stalking their household that they are going to lose their job or lose the security of that health care coverage that they've always had?

This liberal majority, instead, has been focused on creating brand new programs to pay for public school construction. That's an area that the Federal Government has traditionally steered away from because of the massive cost. This stimulus bill that, again, is going to do far more to grow the government than grow the economy, this stimulus bill promoted by the new liberal majority in Congress, has set aside about $14 billion for school modernization and repair; $6 billion for higher education modernization and repair. That means for the first time that Federal taxpayers are assuming the responsibility for rebuilding and repairing local public school buildings, all these traditionally the responsibility of local taxpayers, locally issued bonds by school districts and universities across the country.

I know the Houston Independent School District tells me just to complete, off-the-cuff figure, they estimate they've got in the Houston Independent School District alone about $4 to $5 billion worth of need to rebuild, repair existing school buildings. Imagine the size of that obligation that this new liberal majority has now created for future generations to pay for.

We are in this, as fiscal conservatives, doing everything in our power to enlighten the American people, to let the public know, Madam Speaker, that there's a thoughtful, fiscally conservative alternative out there, America. We want to cut your taxes and cut spending to get this economy moving. We vigorously oppose this effort to grow the government and saddle future generations with more debt.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 82) raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking by establishing January 2009 as ``National Stalking Awareness Month''.

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 82 is a bipartisan measure and will help raise awareness of the terrible toll that stalking is taking in our society. Every year, stalking affects millions of Americans of both genders and of all races and ages.

The consequences of stalking can be extremely serious. The fear and mental anguish can leave stalking victims paralyzed. Stalkers cause their victims severe emotional distress, including anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and depression, which can affect all aspects of life, including family, social activities and work.

In fact, many stalking victims have been forced to relocate their residences and also frequently needed psychological counseling. Approximately 130,000 victims reported being fired or forced to find work elsewhere because they've been stalked.

Stalking also leads to physical attacks on the victim. This explains why most States and the Federal Government treats stalking as a felony. Over 75 percent of women murdered by an intimate partner have been stalked by that partner. Advances in technology have given stalkers ever-increasing access to their victim's personal information, making the victim even more vulnerable.

I'd like to commend my Judiciary Committee colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), for his leadership on this issue. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 82.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, we have been lectured again by the party that authored the economic mess that we have been in for the last 8 years about economic theory. I just want to remind everyone what that economic theory created. It erased a $5\1/2\ trillion surplus and replaced it with at least a $3\1/2\ trillion debt. There was no comment about fiscal responsibility and our grandchildren paying off the debt while they were doing that to public.

And, while overspending the budget by $9 trillion, or even more, they incredibly managed to produce the worst job performance since the Great Depression. And now they are criticizing those who support the economic theory that created the $5\1/2\ trillion surplus and tens of millions of jobs.

If you just want to look at economic activity, and not just the jobs, if you look at what happened to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If the last 8 years of the Dow Jones Industrial Average had done in the last 8 years what it had done during the preceding 8 years under the Democratic economic theory, the Dow Jones Industrial Average would be approximately four times bigger than it is now.

So look at your 401(k) and imagine if it had been four times bigger. That is where it would be if the economic results of the Democratic theory of the 1990s had been in effect. I think most of the people would like to see their 401(k)s and IRAs four times bigger than it is today.

So we will let the people decide which economic theory they would rather have--the one that we have been lectured from, or the one that was put into effect in 1993 and the one we are trying to get the economy back on track with a stimulus package, which many economists think is too small for the big mess that we are in.

In any case, Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing the legislation establishing January, 2009, as National Stalking Awareness Month. I hope that we would adopt the resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I also agree that on the issue on this omnibus spending spree that we're calling a stimulus bill, that where we increase from $1 trillion, add another trillion and push up the deficit to 10 percent of the GDP, this is not the answer.

But let me talk for a minute about the stalker bill because I'm the author of the first stalker act, both here in the Federal Government and at the State level in California.

In Orange County, California, we had four young women who were killed in the span of 6 weeks, and law enforcement had told me at the time that if they had been able to intervene they could have protected them. One law enforcement officer said the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life, he was waiting to try to apprehend the man who was going to kill his girlfriend. The man succeeded and then killed himself. It was 30 seconds too late for the officer to prevent that, or a minute too late.

So the Federal law and the State law, the California law has now, frankly, been copied by all 50 States. But I wanted to share with my colleagues here that our Federal anti-stalker law has now been passed in Japan. It's been passed in countries in Europe and elsewhere around the world. I'm still getting calls from legislators about the need to set up this deterrence, so that when a credible threat is given against a victim of a crime, she knows when she's being threatened and stalked, that that's a felony, that she can take out a restraining order; she can thus make that a felony and get law enforcement involved in order to protect her.

Let me just say that I think this resolution is important because what it does is raise the level of awareness around the country as to the necessity of not only law enforcement, judges, but the average citizen to be aware of this. And those who are involved, men and women who are involved in stalking their victims should understand that under State and Federal law they risk serving serious time in Federal and State penitentiary if they continue with this pattern of threats and behavior.

Let me also say that I think that in our society it is really time to figure out how the victims can get access to the information about the laws that we pass, because too many times we have people--and this even includes in law enforcement--who are not cognizant of the fact that they can step in here and get involved and prevent serious harm before it occurs.

So just in closing and yielding back my time, I commend the sponsors and cosponsors of this resolution, because in calling attention to this special week, National Stalking Awareness Month, calling attention to this, my hope is that all of you can make those potential victims of this crime more knowledgeable so that they understand they have recourse, so that steps can be taken before they're physically harmed.