[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 82 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 82

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 22, 2009

Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself, Mr. Costa, Ms. Edwards of Maryland, Mrs. 
   Maloney, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Matsui, Mr. 
Marchant, Mr. Moran of Virginia, and Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


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

Whereas in a 1-year period, an estimated 3,400,000 people in America reported 
        being stalked, and 75 percent of victims are stalked by someone who is 
        not a stranger;
Whereas 81 percent of women, who are stalked by an intimate partner, are also 
        physically assaulted by that partner, and 76 percent of women, who are 
        killed by an intimate partner, were also stalked by that intimate 
        partner;
Whereas 11 percent reported having been stalked for more than 5 years and \1/4\ 
        of victims reported having been stalked almost every day;
Whereas one in four victims reported that stalkers had used technology, such as 
        e-mail or instant messaging, to follow and harass them, and one in 13 
        said stalkers had used electronic devices to intrude on their lives;
Whereas stalking victims are forced to take drastic measures to protect 
        themselves, such as changing their identities; relocating, changing 
        jobs, and obtaining protection orders;
Whereas one in seven victims moved in an effort to escape their stalker;
Whereas approximately 130,000 victims reported having been fired or asked to 
        leave their job because of the stalking, and about one in eight lost 
        time from work because they feared for their safety or were taking 
        steps, such as seeking a restraining order, to protect themselves;
Whereas less than half of victims report stalking to police and only 7 percent 
        contacted a victim service provider, shelter, or hotline;
Whereas stalking is a crime that cuts across race, age, culture, gender, sexual 
        orientation, physical and mental ability, and economic status;
Whereas stalking is a crime under Federal law and under the laws of all 50 
        States and the District of Columbia;
Whereas there are national organizations, local victim service organizations, 
        prosecutors' offices, and police departments that stand ready to assist 
        stalking victims and who are working diligently to craft competent, 
        thorough, and innovative responses to stalking;
Whereas there is a need to enhance the criminal justice system's response to 
        stalking and stalking victims, including aggressive investigation and 
        prosecution, and to increase the availability of victim services across 
        the country tailored to meet the needs of stalking victims; and
Whereas the House of Representatives urges the establishment of January 2009 as 
        National Stalking Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) National Stalking Awareness Month provides an 
                opportunity to educate the people of the United States 
                about stalking;
                    (B) all Americans should applaud the efforts of the 
                many victim service providers, police, prosecutors, 
                national and community organizations, and private 
                sector supporters for their efforts in promoting 
                awareness about stalking; and
                    (C) policymakers, criminal justice officials, 
                victim service and human service agencies, college 
                campuses and universities, nonprofits, and others 
                should recognize the need to increase awareness of 
                stalking and the availability of services for stalking 
                victims; and
            (2) the House of Representatives urges national and 
        community organizations, businesses in the private sector, and 
        the media to promote awareness of the crime of stalking through 
        National Stalking Awareness Month.
                                 <all>