III 109th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 537 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 20, 2006 Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Specter, and Mr. Frist) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary September 8, 2006 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the National Sexual Assault Hotline and commending the Hotline for counseling and supporting more than 1,000,000 callers.

Whereas it is estimated that a sexual assault occurs every 2.5 minutes in the United States and more than 200,000 people in the United States each year are victims of sexual assault; Whereas 1 of every 6 women and 1 of every 33 men in the United States have been victims of rape or attempted rape, according to the Department of Justice; Whereas the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation rank rape second only to murder in the hierarchy of violent crimes; Whereas research suggests that sexual assault victims who receive counseling are more likely to report the assault to the police and to participate in the prosecution of the offender; Whereas, in June 2006, the National Sexual Assault Hotline (referred to in this preamble as Hotline) helped its 1,000,000th caller; Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, offering important, free, and confidential crisis intervention, support, information, and referrals for victims of sexual assault and their friends and families; Whereas the Hotline was created by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (referred to in this preamble as RAINN), a non-profit corporation, the headquarters of which are located in Washington, D.C.; Whereas the Hotline answered its first call on July 27, 1994, and operated solely with private funds for the first 10 years the Hotline was in existence; Whereas RAINN continues to operate the Hotline today, in partnership with 1,100 local rape crisis centers in the 50 States and the District of Columbia and with over 10,000 trained volunteers and staff, and in collaboration with coalitions against sexual assault in each of the 50 States; Whereas the Hotline helps an average of 11,000 people each month and in 2005 helped 137,039 women, men, and children across the Nation; Whereas the public education and outreach undertaken by RAINN and local rape crisis centers have increased public awareness of sexual violence and contributed to a 58-percent decline in crimes of sexual violence since 1993; Whereas the Hotline has experienced a significant increase in call volume as public awareness of sexual violence has grown, with calls to the Hotline increasing by 43 percent since 2003; Whereas millions of Americans have learned of the services available through the Hotline, thanks to the public service promotion contributed by every national broadcast television network, a dozen cable networks, and more than 1,000 radio stations, newspapers, and magazines; and Whereas the Hotline serves as an outstanding example of a successful partnership between the Federal Government, the private sector, and individuals: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)supports the National Sexual Assault Hotline; and (2)commends the National Sexual Assault Hotline for counseling and supporting more than 1,000,000 callers.