[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 944 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 944

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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2006

 Mr. Poe (for himself, Mr. Costa, Ms. Harris, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. 
 Ortiz, Mr. Holden, and Ms. Hart) submitted the following resolution; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
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.

Whereas October 2006 is to be recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness 
        Month, a month for activities furthering the awareness of domestic 
        violence;
Whereas one in four women will fall victim to domestic violence in her life;
Whereas women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates, per capita, of 
        intimate partner violence;
Whereas 70 percent of teenage girls and college women who are raped are raped 
        during the course of a date;
Whereas 13 percent of teenage girls who have been in a relationship report being 
        hit or hurt by their partners;
Whereas one in four teenage girls has been in a relationship in which she was 
        pressured into performing sexual acts by her partner;
Whereas one study found that 25 percent of girls in 8th or 9th grade have been 
        victims of non-sexual violence and eight percent have been victims of 
        sexual violence;
Whereas there is a need for middle schools, secondary schools, and post-
        secondary schools to educate students about the issues of domestic 
        violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking;
Whereas 30 to 50 percent of dating relationships exhibit the same kind of 
        escalating violence as marital relationships;
Whereas the costs of intimate partner violence annually exceeds $5.8 billion, 
        including $4.1 billion in direct medical and mental health care services 
        for victims of domestic violence;
Whereas domestic violence has been estimated to cost employers anywhere from $3 
        to 13 billion per year in the United States due to loss of productivity, 
        workdays missed, and the cost of increased health care due to domestic 
        violence-related injuries;
Whereas landlords frequently deny housing to victims of domestic violence who 
        have protection orders or evict victims of domestic violence for seeking 
        help, such as by calling 911, after a domestic violence incident or who 
        have other indications that they are domestic violence victims;
Whereas 92 percent of homeless women experience severe physical or sexual abuse 
        at some point in their lifetimes;
Whereas one study indicates that nearly 46 percent of homeless women reported 
        staying in an abusive relationship because they had nowhere else to go;
Whereas 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse women also abuse children;
Whereas men who witness domestic violence as children are twice as likely to 
        abuse their own partners;
Whereas children who witness domestic violence are more likely to attempt 
        suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, and engage in 
        teenage prostitution;
Whereas the media is increasingly reporting stories of men involved in domestic 
        violence cases who kill their spouses and often their children before 
        committing suicide;
Whereas, according to one study, during court ordered visitation, five percent 
        of abusive fathers threaten to kill their spouses, 34 percent of abusive 
        fathers threaten to kidnap their children, and 25 percent of abusive 
        fathers threaten to physically hurt their children;
Whereas homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native American women 
        and 75 percent of Native American women who are killed are killed by a 
        family member or an acquaintance;
Whereas there is a need to increase public awareness and understanding of 
        domestic violence and the needs of battered women, men, and children;
Whereas there is a need to increase funding for programs carried out under the 
        Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322; 108 Stat. 1902 
        et seq.) aimed at intervening and preventing domestic violence in the 
        United States; and
Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to preventing and 
        ending domestic violence should be recognized: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic 
        Violence Awareness Month; and
            (2) expresses 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.
                                 <all>