[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 112 (Friday, August 12, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 RIGHTS AND HEALTH OF SEXUAL OFFENSE VICTIMS MUST BE PROTECTED IN NEW 
                               CRIME BILL

  (Mr. ALLARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, in the Crime Control Act of 1990, a 
provision said if States were to receive any funds from the Byrne grant 
then the State would have to establish a program allowing the victim of 
sexual assault to have the offender tested for the HIV virus.
  I support the 1990 law because we need to protect the health and the 
rights of the victim, especially in the case of a sexual offense. When 
someone is raped, the victim has the right to know if their attacker 
carries this deadly disease.
  However, even though the Federal Government requires a program for 
HIV testing for States, this provision was left out of the Federal 
crime bill. But now that we have the opportunity to strengthen the 
bill, I urge my colleagues to include this testing provision. A sex 
crime is just as heinous whether it is State or Federal and should be 
treated the same. I believe if this is a State requirement it should 
also be a Federal requirement.
  Without this provision, Congress is telling America that the rights 
of the victim of a sexual crime is less important than their sexual 
predator. We should protect the victims of crime and include the Senate 
provision and insist that Federal crimes be treated as harsh as State 
crimes. More importantly, the rights of the victim of a sexual crime 
must be put above the rights of the sexual predator.

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