[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 150 (Friday, October 31, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIZABETH FURSE

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 31, 1997

  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 
Domestic violence is a subject that we must give greater attention. In 
this country, 42 percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate 
male partners. I find that shocking--of 100 women killed, in almost 
half the cases, the murderer is the woman's boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, 
husband, or ex-husband.
  The importance of violence against women as a national problem was 
acknowledged by Congress in our 1994 passage of the Violence Against 
Women Act as part of the crime bill that year.
  Soon after I was elected to Congress in 1992, I met with a group of 
advocates working to prevent domestic violence in Portland. They asked 
me to develop a community-based approach to domestic violence 
prevention. Along with Senator Hatfield, I introduced legislation in 
1993 which was included in the Violence Against Women Act and the crime 
bill.
  Because the problem of domestic violence is pervasive, only a 
coordinated approach which integrates the unique perspectives and 
assets of these interrelated sectors of society can produce truly 
effective solutions. Local domestic violence organizations often lack 
coordination with similar groups in their community. My legislation 
included a provision to improve and expand existing intervention and 
prevention strategies through increased communication.
  My legislation enabled funding for community programs on domestic 
violence. These grants are being awarded in local communities in order 
to develop coordinated community plans for intervention in and 
prevention of domestic violence. These projects involve such sectors as 
health care providers, the education community, the religious 
community, the justice system, domestic violence program advocates, 
human service entities, and business and civic leaders.
  The National Research Council published a report last year called 
Understanding Violence Against Women which said: ``[these coordinated 
community] projects had a significant impact on increasing the levels 
of arrests for battering, convictions, and court mandates to treatment 
* * * Arrests prior to the coordinated effort increased repeat 
violence, while police action, particularly arrest, in coordination 
with other criminal justice efforts deterred further violence.''
  These community programs were funded at $6 million each year in 1995 
and 1996. Six million dollars is included in both the House and Senate 
versions of this year's Labor/HHS appropriations bill for coordinated 
community initiatives.
  Much of the funding in the Senate bill comes from the violent crime 
reduction trust fund rather than by further extending the Center for 
Disease Control's base budget, which is already stretched thin. Several 
of my colleagues have joined me in sending a letter to House conferees 
urging them to recede to the Senate position.
  Mr. Speaker, the fundamental nature of violence against women remains 
unexplored and often misunderstood. We must increase our knowledge so 
that we can ameliorate this national problem.




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