[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 134 (Friday, November 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11621-S11622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, much of the Senate's attention this week
was consumed with completing lingering business, be it, appropriations
bills or debt extension. In contrast, I rise today to ask my colleagues
to cast their eyes forward to a new matter that we must focus on when
Congress reconvenes in January--the reauthorization of the Violence
Against Women Act. As most know, I consider the Violence Against Women
Act the single most important legislation I've championed during my 30-
year tenure in the Senate. I care deeply about this law, and take
seriously my responsibility to ensure it is funded and renewed.
After more than 5 years of hearings, and legislative drafts and
redrafts, in September 1994, the Congress passed and President Clinton
signed into law the Violence Against Women Act. The Violence Against
Women Act created new Federal criminal laws addressing domestic
violence and rape, and established discretionary grant programs within
the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human
Services for State, local, and Indian tribal governments and non-profit
service organizations. The Violence Against Women Act of 2000 renewed
these programs, made targeted improvements to certain provisions and
introduced new initiatives.
Since the bill was enacted, we've witnessed an incredible
transformation in State and Federal criminal and civil law enforcement,
communities' victim services, and societal attitudes towards domestic
violence and sexual assault. In 2004 alone, Congress spent $520 million
for Violence Against Women programs. Over the past decade, nearly $3.8
billion has been appropriated to make women's homes and communities
safer.
We've made extraordinary progress in ending violence against women
and its devastating impact on families. With the passage of the
Violence Against Women Act we started talking about that dirty little
secret that no one wanted to say out loud. A rape victim or battered
wife can now turn to a trained police officer, an emergency room nurse,
or a 1-800 Hotline operator. We transformed private ``family matters''
into public crimes with true accountability and meaningful victim
services.
The Violence Against Women Act is working. Since its enactment,
domestic violence has dropped by almost 50 percent. Incidents of rape
are down by 60 percent. The number of women killed by an abusive
husband or boyfriend is down by 22 percent. More than half of all rape
victims are stepping forward to report the crime. Over a million women
have found justice in our courtrooms and obtained domestic violence
protective orders. The signs of success abound.
But progress is not enough. Sadly, domestic violence and sexual
assault persist. As more and more brave women are stepping forward to
report a rape or seek a restraining order against an abusive husband,
more demands are
[[Page S11622]]
placed on women's shelters, state prosecutors, courtroom victim
advocates, and other resources. We cannot let the Violence Against
Women Act become a victim of its own success. Instead, it must be
soundly and quickly reauthorized next year.
Despite best efforts, a complete bill reauthorizing the Act is not
yet ready for introduction today. However, a draft is near completion.
I am listening closely to those on the front lines--police, trial
judges, emergency room nurses and many others--and making targeted
improvements to existing grant programs and tightening up criminal
laws. We are learning about the new challenges and the persistent
problems of old. A wide variety of groups are working with me to put
together the next iteration of the Violence Against Women Act,
including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the
National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Family Violence and
Prevention Fund, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, Legal
Momentum, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the American
Bar Association's Commission on Domestic Violence, the National
Association of Attorneys General, the National Center for Victims of
Crime, National District Attorneys Association, the National Council on
Family and Juvenile Court Judges, the National Association of Chiefs of
Police, the National Sheriffs' Association and the American Medical
Association.
The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 that I intend to introduce at
the commencement of the next Congressional session is a comprehensive
and ambitious bill that will move our country forward in our fight to
end family violence. The reauthorization will include at least nine
titles. Major components of title I on the courts and crime include
provisions to: 1. renew existing foundational programs for law
enforcement, lawyers, judges and advocates; 2. stiffen existing
criminal penalties for repeat federal domestic violence offenders; 3.
appropriately update the stalking criminal law to incorporate new
surveillance technology like Global Positioning Systems (GPS); and 4.
ensure that offender re-entry programs develop procedures and resources
for prisoners with a history of family violence. Title II on victim
services would, among other items: 1. create a new dedicated program
for rape crisis centers; 2. reinvigorate programs to help older and
disabled victims of domestic violence; and 3. strengthen existing
programs for rural victims and victims in underserved areas.
I am particularly heartened by new titles that deal with children and
teenagers. Reports indicate that from three to ten million children are
experiencing domestic violence in their homes each year. Treating
children who witness domestic violence, dealing quickly with violent
teenage relationships and teaching prevention to children and teenagers
are keys to ending the violence.
In some instances, women face the untenable choice of returning to
their abuser or becoming homeless. Indeed, 44 percent of the Nation's
mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness.
In response, efforts to ease the housing problems for battered women
are contained in my draft bill.
Doctors and nurses, like police officers on the beat, are often the
first witnesses of the devastating aftermath of abuse. As first
responders, they must be fully engaged in the effort to end the
violence and have the tools they need to faithfully screen, treat and
study family violence. My bill would strengthen the health care
system's response to family violence with programs to train and educate
health care professionals on domestic and sexual violence, foster
family violence screening for patients, and more studies on the health
ramifications of family violence.
Leaving a violent partner often requires battered women to achieve a
level of economic security. The next iteration of the Violence Against
Women Act should seek to help abused women maintain secure employment,
insurance coverage, and child support resources.
In addition, my bill would improve and expand the immigration
protections for battered women. I am very appreciative of Senator
Kennedy's leadership and expertise on this issue. In addition, it would
ensure that victims of trafficking are supported with measures such as
permitting their families to join them in certain circumstances,
expanding the duration of a T-visa, and providing resources to victims
who assist in investigations or prosecutions of trafficking cases
brought by State or Federal authorities. Finally, my bill will focus
more closely on violence against Indian women and suggest ways to
better coordinate services to Indian women.
I am pleased to be working on such a thorough effort to renew the
Violence Against Women Act. I believe this bill raises important
issues, and pushes local and federal policymakers to ask what more
should be done for battered women and their children. In the coming
weeks, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of
the aisle to craft a compromise measure. Senator Hatch and the
Judiciary Committee's new Chairman, Senator Specter and Ranking Member
Senator Leahy, have long supported the Violence Against Women Act and I
am confident that we will work together to create an effective
reauthorization bill. I also appreciate the efforts in the House of
Representatives including those of a long-standing champion of the
Violence Against Women, Representative Conyers.
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