[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1637 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1637

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness 
  Month 2010 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 and practices designed to prevent and 
                         end domestic violence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2010

  Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Larsen of 
  Washington, Ms. Speier, Mr. Costa, Mrs. Dahlkemper, Ms. Fudge, Ms. 
Jackson Lee of Texas, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Michaud, Mr. Moore 
    of Kansas, Mr. Pomeroy, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Ruppersberger, Ms. 
 Schakowsky, Mr. Spratt, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Burton of Indiana, 
Mr. Conaway, and Mr. Paulsen) submitted the following resolution; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness 
  Month 2010 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 and practices designed to prevent and 
                         end domestic violence.

Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages as well as racial, ethnic, 
        gender, economic, and religious backgrounds;
Whereas females are disproportionately victims of domestic violence;
Whereas 6 in 10 Native American women will be physically assaulted in their 
        lifetimes;
Whereas on average, more than 3 women are murdered by their husbands or 
        boyfriends in the United States every day;
Whereas approximately 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse women also abuse 
        children;
Whereas approximately 15,500,000 children are exposed to domestic violence every 
        year;
Whereas children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to attempt 
        suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, and engage in 
        teenage prostitution;
Whereas a large study found that men exposed to physical abuse, sexual abuse, 
        and adult domestic violence as children were almost 4 times more likely 
        than other men to have perpetrated domestic violence as adults;
Whereas women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates, per capita, of 
        intimate partner violence;
Whereas approximately 1 in 3 adolescent girls in the United States is a victim 
        of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure 
        that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence 
        affecting youth;
Whereas teen girls who are physically and sexually abused are up to 6 times more 
        likely to become pregnant, and more than 2 times as likely to report a 
        sexually transmitted disease, than teen girls who are not abused;
Whereas 1,500,000 high school students nationwide experienced physical abuse 
        from a dating partner in a single year;
Whereas young people who are physically abused perform worse in school, 20 
        percent received mostly D's and F's;
Whereas adolescent girls who reported dating violence were 60 percent more 
        likely to report one or more suicide attempts in the past year;
Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating 
        violence, and many successful community examples include education, 
        community outreach, and social marketing campaigns that account for the 
        cultural appropriateness of programs;
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 one-quarter to one-half of domestic violence victims report that they 
        have lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence;
Whereas the annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is 
        estimated at $727,800,000 with over 7,900,000 paid workdays lost per 
        year;
Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2003, 
        the costs of intimate partner violence exceed $8,300,000,000 and 
        $1,200,000,000 in the value of lost lives;
Whereas research shows that intimate partner violence costs a health plan 
        $19,300,000 each year for every 100,000 women between ages 18 to 64 
        enrolled;
Whereas even 5 years after the abuse has ended, health care costs of women with 
        a history of intimate partner violence remain 20 percent higher than 
        those for women with no history of violence;
Whereas in addition to the immediate trauma caused by abuse, domestic violence 
        contributes to a number of chronic health problems, including 
        depression, alcohol, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases 
        such as HIV/AIDS, and often limits the ability of women to manage other 
        chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension;
Whereas although doctors and nurses routinely screen for high blood pressure and 
        high cholesterol, too few assess for domestic violence and the burden on 
        health care costs would be reduced if routine assessment and 
        intervention for domestic violence was part of a preventative health 
        care strategy;
Whereas men are the perpetrators in at least 85 percent of domestic violence 
        cases and prevention programs must be expanded to address their needs;
Whereas 88 percent of men in a national poll reported that they think that 
        society should do more to respect women and girls;
Whereas research demonstrates that men are willing to help prevent violence 
        against women, particularly through shaping the attitudes of younger men 
        and boys;
Whereas a multi-State study shows conclusively that the Nation's domestic 
        violence shelters are addressing victims' urgent and long-term needs and 
        are helping victims protect themselves and their children;
Whereas there is a need to increase funding for programs aimed at intervening 
        and preventing domestic violence in the United States;
Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to preventing and 
        ending domestic violence should be recognized; and
Whereas Health Cares About Domestic Violence Day (HCADV Day) is celebrated on 
        the second Wednesday of October: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) supports the goals and ideals of National 
                Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and
                    (B) recognizes Health Cares About Domestic Violence 
                Day (HCADV Day) as an awareness-raising day to reach 
                members of the health care community and educate them 
                about the critical importance of assessing for domestic 
                violence, as well as the long-term health implications 
                of domestic violence and lifetime exposure to violence; 
                and
            (2) it is 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.
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