[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
    NEVADA'S JUDICIARY SYSTEM ENLISTED IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST DOMESTIC 
                                VIOLENCE

  (Mr. BILBRAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, our judiciary system is a significant part 
of the complex set of dynamics that can stop violence in the home; it 
cannot solve every problem, and education is a necessary start. I am 
proud to say that Nevada was the first, but sadly, the only State in 
the country which, by order of the Nevada Supreme Court, mandated the 
attendance of all State judges at a State judiciary family violence 
conference. Our recognition began in large part in 1988 when the 
problem of domestic violence was raised by the Nevada Supreme Court 
Gender Bias Task Force. The group reported that battered women were 
being dealt with inadequately in the legal system. It became 
increasingly clear that the judicial system did not understand the 
underlying factors that contributed to the relationship between the 
batterer and his victim.
  After investigating many aspects of family violence, the Clark County 
Domestic Violence Task Force prompted the Nevada Supreme Court to 
require all judges to attend a seminar focusing on family violence, its 
roots, and solutions. What came out of this was extremely important. 
This day signified an acknowledgment of a problem, a breaking of 
stereotypes, a desire for change, and hope for a better life for 
Nevada's families.
  My wish is that the other States will follow in Nevada's footsteps 
toward a recognition of the realities of violence in the home, and take 
constructive steps to break this vicious cycle.

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