[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]

 
                           DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  (Mr. SCHUMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Speaker, this year, we do not need domestic violence 
awareness month to convince the Congress that domestic violence is a 
serious problem. This year, domestic violence victims across the 
country can find hope in the fact that after years of effort, the 
Federal Government has finally responded to the problem of domestic 
violence by enacting the Violence Against Women Act as part of the 
crime bill.
  For too long, people have tolerated the belief that beating your wife 
is somehow more acceptable than beating up a total stranger.
  But, finally, the Congress and the President have acted to stem the 
violence by passing the Violence Against Women Act. The act authorizes 
funding for a national, toll-free hotline to provide information and 
assistance to victims of domestic violence; it creates a Federal remedy 
for interstate stalking and abuse; it requires that each State honor 
the protective orders issued by other States; it encourages 
comprehensive reform in arrest, prosecution and judicial policies 
directed toward domestic violence; it provides substantial funding for 
battered women's shelters; and it permits immigrant spouses of United 
States citizens to escape from their abusive spouses without risking 
deportation.
  But legislation can only do so much. The key is changing attitudes. 
All Americans need to understand that domestic violence is a serious 
crime, that battered women and crime victims, and that men who batter 
are criminals.

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