[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 117 (Wednesday, September 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9333-S9334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT AND NOMINATION OF BONNIE CAMPBELL

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise to discuss my disappointment that 
the Republican leadership in the Senate seems to have better things to 
do than to pass a bill reauthorizing one of our most effective laws to 
combat domestic violence. I am talking about the Violence Against Women 
Act.
  Since it became law in 1994, it has provided money to State and local 
programs to help women obtain restraining orders and to arrest those 
who are abusing women. The numbers show that the Violence Against Women 
Act is working.
  A recent Justice Department report found that domestic violence 
against women decreased by 21 percent between 1993 and 1998. That is 
good news, but we still have a long way to go.
  In 1998, American women were the victims of 876,340 acts of domestic 
violence. Between 1993 and 1998, domestic violence accounted for 22 
percent of the violent crimes against women. And during those same 
years, children under the age of 12 lived in 43 percent of the 
households where domestic violence occurred. This is generational. The 
kids see it, they grow up, they become abusive parents themselves.
  In Iowa and all across America, law enforcement officers and 
prosecutors and victims service organizations are fighting back, but 
they need help. The help they need is to make sure we reauthorize the 
Violence Against Women Act, to make sure it is funded, to keep the 
great job going that it has been doing over the last 5 years.

[[Page S9334]]

  There is other help that we need to cut down on domestic violence and 
violence against women; that is, to make sure that we have judges on 
our courts who understand this law, who know what is happening out 
there and can make sure the law is applied fairly and is upheld in the 
courts around the country.
  To that end, it is again disappointing that the Republican Senate is 
holding up the nomination of one person uniquely qualified to ensure 
that the Violence Against Women Act is enforced in our courts around 
the country.
  Since the beginning of the Violence Against Women Office that was 
created under the Justice Department in 1995, the person who has been 
at the head of that office is the former attorney general of the State 
of Iowa, Bonnie Campbell. Earlier this year, the President nominated 
her for a vacancy on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has had 
her hearing on the Judiciary Committee. She is broadly supported on 
both sides of the aisle, strongly supported in her home State of Iowa 
where, as I said, she served with distinction as attorney general. Yet 
for some reason, the Judiciary Committee is holding up her nomination.
  I have heard a couple of reasons: It is too late in the year; this is 
an election year; they want to hold on, maybe Bush will be elected and 
they can get their people in.
  So, that makes me feel the need to take a look at the history of our 
judicial nominations. In 1992, when there was a Republican in the White 
House and the Democrats controlled the Senate. But in 1992, from July 
through October, the Democratically controlled Senate confirmed nine 
circuit court judges. This year, with a Democratic President but a 
Republican-controlled Senate, we have only gotten one confirmed since 
July. We have some pending who could be reported out, one of whom is 
Bonnie Campbell. But we see no action and time is running out.
  And everything I have heard from the Judiciary Committee is that they 
will not report her name out. The other thing I heard was, she was 
nominated too late. I also heard from some people on the committee--
that she was only nominated earlier this year. I shouldn't expect her 
to be reported out.
  Well, again, let's take a look at the record books. In 1992, when 
there was a Republican President and a Democratic Senate, nine circuit 
nominees were nominated and confirmed that same year. Let me say that 
again. They were nominated in 1992 and acted on in 1992. Yet this year, 
we are told that the Republican-controlled Senate cannot move circuit 
court judges out because it is an election year. Yet when the Democrats 
were in charge in 1992, as I said, nine were nominated and nine were 
acted upon by the Democratic Senate.
  Let's jump back to this year. Seven people this year were nominated 
to sit on the judicial circuit. Only 1 of those seven has been 
confirmed and that was in July.
  I want to focus on Bonnie Campbell. A hearing was held in May. All 
the paperwork is done. She is widely supported. If there are people 
here who would like to vote against her, at least bring her nomination 
to the floor; and if they want to vote against her, for whatever 
reason, let them do so. But I have not had one person on the Republican 
side or the Democratic side come to this Senator and say that Bonnie 
Campbell is not qualified to be a circuit court judge--not one. She is 
eminently well qualified and everyone knows it.
  Here is this person who has headed the Office of Violence Against 
Women in the Department of Justice since it started. She has run it for 
5 years. The House of Representatives, yesterday, reauthorized the 
Violence Against Women Act, with 415 votes for it. I ask, do you think 
415 Members of the House, Republicans and Democrats, would have voted 
that overwhelmingly to reauthorize the bill if the person who had been 
running that office had not done an exemplary job? I think by the very 
fact that 415 Members of the House, from every end of the ideological 
spectrum, voted to reauthorize that bill, what they are saying is that 
Bonnie Campbell gets an A-plus on running that office, implementing the 
VAWA provisions and enforcing the law. Yet this Republican Senate will 
not report her name out on the floor to be confirmed, or at least to 
vote on her to be a circuit court judge.
  Well, I tell you, talk about a split personality. The Republicans in 
this Senate can talk all they want to about violence against women and 
that they are going to bring the bill up and we are going to pass it 
before the end of the year; but if this Republican-controlled Senate 
holds Bonnie Campbell's name and won't let her come out for a vote, 
they are saying: We will pass the Violence Against Women Act, but we 
don't want judges on our courts who are going to enforce it. I say that 
because nobody is more qualified to enforce it than Bonnie Campbell.
  The Judiciary Committee, I am told, is going to meet tomorrow. I am 
hopeful that tomorrow they will report Bonnie Campbell's name out for 
action by the full Senate.
  (Mr. L. CHAFEE assumed the chair.)

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