[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5877-S5878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND AROUND THE COUNTRY

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, domestic violence is often the crime that 
victims don't want to admit and communities don't want to discuss. 
However, almost 10,000 domestic violence victims in South Dakota last 
year got help from the Department of Social Services. This represents a 
low estimate of the number of South Dakotans who are victims of 
domestic violence as many victims fail to seek help.
  Since enactment of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, the number 
of forcible rapes of women declined, and the number of sexual assaults 
nationwide has gone down as well. Despite the success of the Violence 
Against Women Act, domestic abuse and violence against women continues 
to plague our communities. Consider

[[Page S5878]]

the fact that a woman is raped every five minutes in this country, and 
that nearly one in every three adult women experiences at least one 
physical assault by a partner during adulthood. In fact, more women are 
injured by domestic violence each year than by automobile accidents and 
cancer deaths combined.
  These facts illustrate that there is a need in Congress to help 
states and communities address this problem that impacts all of our 
communities.
  I recently joined Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-
UT), Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), and others in sponsoring bipartisan 
legislation, S. 2787, to reauthorize the 1994 Violence Against Women 
Act. Authorization for the important programs contained in this law has 
already expired, and Congress must act now to ensure that successful 
programs dealing with domestic violence are funded in the future.
  As a state lawmaker in 1983, I wrote one of the first domestic 
violence laws in South Dakota which dedicated a portion of marriage 
license fees to help build shelters for battered women. I was also a 
cosponsor of the original Violence Against Women Act in 1990 in the 
House of Representatives. Even at that time, many people denied that 
domestic violence existed in our state. Finally, in 1995, the President 
signed legislation to strengthen federal criminal law relating to 
violence against women and fund programs to help women who have been 
assaulted.
  Since the Violence Against Women Act became law, South Dakota 
organizations have received over $6.7 million in federal funding for 
domestic abuse programs. In addition, the Violence Against Women Act 
doubled prison time for repeat sex offenders; established mandatory 
restitution to victims of violence against women; codified much of our 
existing laws on rape; and strengthened interstate enforcement of 
violent crimes against women.
  The law also created a national toll-free hotline to provide women 
with crisis intervention help, information about violence against 
women, and free referrals to local services. Last year, the hotline 
took its 300,000th call. The number for women to call for help is: 1-
800-799-SAFE.
  In addition to reauthorizing the provisions of the original Violence 
Against Women Act, the legislation that I am sponsoring in the Senate 
would improve our overall efforts to reduce violence against women by 
strengthening law enforcement's role in reducing violence against 
women. The legislation also expands legal services and assistance to 
victims of violence, while also addressing the effects of domestic 
violence on children. Finally, programs are funded to strengthen 
education and training to combat violence against women.
  I have asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to quickly pass S. 2787, 
and I am hopeful that the Senate will approve this important piece of 
legislation this year so that we can continue fighting domestic abuse 
and violence against women in our state and communities.

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