[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 124 (Friday, October 6, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S10074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, October is Domestic Violence Awareness 
Month, and I can think of no better way to start off the month than by 
reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and providing thousands of 
South Dakota women and children with the resources and protection from 
violence and abuse.
  As you know, programs contained in the Violence Against Women Act 
expired October 1. I have sponsored legislation to reauthorize and 
expand these important programs, and the reauthorization bill has 
received broad, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. In 
fact, there are 72 Senators cosponsoring my bill. Also, the House of 
Representatives voted last week by an overwhelming 415-3 margin to 
reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
  This Congress, that has failed to act on several important 
legislative initiatives, has the opportunity to do something right this 
week. Majority Leader Lott can schedule votes today on reauthorization 
of the Violence Against Women Act, and it would pass overwhelmingly. 
The President has promised to sign the bill as soon as possible. The 
time to act is now.
  In South Dakota alone, approximately 15,000 victims of domestic 
violence were provided assistance last year. Shelters, victims' service 
providers, and counseling centers in South Dakota rely heavily on these 
funds to provide assistance to these women and children. 
Reauthorization of this legislation assures that South Dakota 
communities will continue to have access to critical funds for domestic 
violence services.
  A woman from South Dakota recently wrote me about this issue, and I 
shared her story on the Senate floor last week because I believe it 
made the most compelling case for reauthorization of the Violence 
Against Women Act. This South Dakotan was abused as a child, raped as a 
teenager, and emotionally abused as a wife. Her grandchildren were also 
abused. In her letter, she pleads: Please reauthorize the Violence 
Against Women Act. Don't let another woman go through what I went 
through, and please don't let another child go through what my 
grandchildren have gone through. You can make a difference.''
  I also heard from a Rural Outreach Advocate in South Dakota who said 
a grant from the Violence Against Women Act enables her and other 
advocates to help battered women in our state. She noted that many 
assaulted women and children in our state live in remote, rural areas 
that don't have available services. Without grants from the Violence 
Against Women Act, this Rural Outreach Advocate warned that we will be 
unable to help a majority of battered women and children on our state's 
farms and in our state's small towns.
  In addition to the need to reauthorize the Violence Against Women 
Act, I recently joined Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota in 
introducing legislation called the National Domestic Violence Hotline 
Enhancement Act. Since 1994, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-
800-799-SAFE) has received 500,000 calls from women and children in 
danger from abuse. My legislation would create the National First Call 
for Safety web site that would allow National Domestic Violence Hotline 
operators to quickly and easily find the most appropriate shelter for 
callers. The highly secure and confidential web site would keep a 
continuously updated, nationwide list of available shelters and 
information about services and facilities offered by these shelters.
  My legislation is modeled after the successful Day One program in 
Minnesota. Day One has run a web site linking every shelter in 
Minnesota and reports that 99 percent of women and children who call 
are assured to receive shelters and services that meet their needs.
  While there are many worthwhile issues that must be addressed by this 
Congress in the next few weeks, I can think of no better accomplishment 
for Congress than to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and 
pass my National Domestic Violence Hotline Enhancement Act. Simply put, 
these laws will help keep wives, daughters, sisters, and friends from 
becoming victims of domestic violence.

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