[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S7191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 66--RELATIVE TO WELFARE REFORM

  Mr. WELLSTONE (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
Feingold, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Simon, and Mr. Sarbanes) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Finance.

                            S. Con. Res. 66

       Whereas, in enacting the Violence Against Women Act, the 
     Congress recognized the epidemic of violence that affects all 
     aspects of women's lives;
       Whereas violence against women is the leading cause of 
     physical injury to women, and the Department of Justice 
     estimates that every year more than 1,000,00 violent crimes 
     against women, including assault, rape, and murder, are 
     committed by intimate partners of the women;
       Whereas the American Psychological Association has reported 
     that violence against women is usually witnessed by the 
     children of the direct victims, and that such child witnesses 
     suffer severe psychological, cognitive, and physical damage, 
     and studies have shown that children residing in battered 
     mothers' homes are 15 times more likely to be physically 
     abused or neglected, and male children residing in such homes 
     are 3 times more likely to be violent with their female 
     partners when they reach adulthood.
       Whereas violence against women dramatically affects women's 
     workforce participation, insofar as \1/4\ of battered women 
     surveyed reported that they had lost a job due, at least in 
     part, to the effects of domestic violence, and that over \1/
     2\ of battered women reported that they had been harassed by 
     their abuser at work;
       Whereas violence against women is often exacerbated as 
     women seek to gain economic independence, and often increases 
     when women attend school or training programs, and batterers 
     often prevent women from attending such programs, and often 
     sabotage their efforts at self-improvement;
       Whereas numerous studies have shown that at least 60 
     percent of battered women suffer from some or all of the 
     following symptoms: terrifying flashbacks, sleep disorders, 
     inability to concentrate, as well as other symptoms, all of 
     which can impair a victim's ability to obtain and retain 
     employment;
       Whereas several recent studies indicate that over 50 
     percent of women in welfare-to-work programs have been or 
     currently are victims of domestic violence, and a study by 
     the State of Washington indicates that over 50 percent of 
     recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) 
     in that State have been so victimized;
       Whereas the availability of economic support is a critical 
     factor in a woman's ability to leave abusive situations 
     that threaten themselves and their children, and over \1/
     2\ of battered women surveyed reported that they stayed 
     with their batterers because they lacked resources to 
     support themselves and their children;
       Whereas proposals to restructure the AFDC program may 
     impact the availability of the economic support and the 
     safety net necessary to enable poor women to flee abuse 
     without risking homelessness and starvation for their 
     families; and
       Whereas proposals to restructure the AFDC program by 
     imposing time limits and increasing emphasis on work and job 
     training should be evaluated in light of data demonstrating 
     the extent to which domestic violence affects women's 
     participation in such programs, and in light of the Congress' 
     commitment to seriously address the issue of violence against 
     women as evidenced by the enactment of the Violence Against 
     Women Act: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That--
       (1) when the Congress considers proposed welfare 
     legislation, it should seriously evaluate whether such 
     welfare measure would exacerbate violence against women, make 
     it more difficult for women and children to escape domestic 
     violence, or would unfairly penalize women and children 
     victimized by or at risk of violence;
       (2) any welfare legislation enacted by the Congress should 
     require that any welfare-to-work, education, or job placement 
     program implemented by the States should take domestic 
     violence into account, by providing, among other things, 
     mechanisms for--
       (A) screening and identifying recipients with a history of 
     domestic violence;
       (B) referring such recipients to counseling and supportive 
     services;
       (C) tolling time limits for recipients victimized by 
     domestic violence; and
       (D) waiving, pursuant to a determination of good cause, 
     other program requirements such as residency requirements, 
     child support cooperation requirements, and family cap 
     provisions, in cases where compliance with such requirements 
     would make it more difficult for the recipients to escape 
     domestic violence or unfairly penalize recipients victimized 
     by or at risk of further violence;
       (3) any welfare legislation enacted by the Congress should 
     include a provision requiring that the Comptroller General 
     should develop and implement a comprehensive study of the 
     incidence and effect of domestic violence on AFDC recipients, 
     including a study of the extent to which domestic violence 
     both precipitates and prolongs women's and children's poverty 
     and the need for AFDC; and
       (4) any welfare reform legislation adopted by the States 
     that contains a welfare-to-work, education, or job placement 
     program should take domestic violence into account, by 
     providing, among other things, mechanisms for--
       (A) screening and identifying recipients with a history of 
     domestic violence;
       (B) referring such recipients to counseling and supportive 
     services;
       (C) tolling time limits for recipients victimized by 
     domestic violence; and
       (D) waiving other program requirements, pursuant to a 
     determination of good cause, such as residency requirements, 
     child support cooperation requirements, and family cap 
     provisions, in cases where compliance with such requirements 
     would make it more difficult for the recipients and their 
     children to escape domestic violence or unfairly penalize 
     recipients victimized by or at risk of further violence.

                          ____________________