[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 20 (Thursday, February 16, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1436-S1437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 373--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
   SENATE SHOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 
 HOTLINE, A CRITICAL NATIONAL RESOURCE THAT SAVES LIVES EACH DAY, AND 
                    COMMEMORATE ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
Leahy, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. Specter) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 373

       Whereas 2006 marks the 10th year that the Hotline has been 
     answering calls and saving lives;
       Whereas, 10 years ago this month, the Hotline answered its 
     first call;
       Whereas the Hotline is a project of the Texas Council on 
     Family Violence headquartered in Austin, Texas, and provides 
     crisis intervention, information, and referral to victims of 
     domestic violence, their friends, and their families;
       Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a 
     year;
       Whereas the Hotline provides its users with anonymous 
     assistance in more than 140 different languages, and a 
     telecommunications device for the deaf, deaf-blind, and hard 
     of hearing;
       Whereas the Hotline was created by Congress in the Violence 
     Against Women Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322; 108 Stat. 
     1902);
       Whereas Congress continues its commitment to families of 
     the United States by strengthening and renewing this 
     important legislation in 2000 and most recently in December, 
     2005;
       Whereas, since taking its first call in 1996, the Hotline 
     has answered over 1,500,000 calls;
       Whereas, since its inception, the Hotline has become a 
     vital link to safety for victims of domestic violence and 
     their families;
       Whereas today, Hotline advocates answer as many as 600 
     calls per day and an average of 16,500 calls per month from 
     women, men, and children from across the United States;
       Whereas, as public awareness grows about domestic violence, 
     the Hotline has seen a significant increase in call volume, 
     with calls to the Hotline increasing by 200 percent over the 
     last 10 years;
       Whereas, because no victim should ever get a busy signal, 
     the Hotline recently unveiled cutting edge technology that 
     will allow more victims to connect to life saving services; 
     and
       Whereas the 10th anniversary of the Hotline marks a true 
     partnership between the Federal Government and private 
     businesses as each has come together in a collaborative 
     effort to save lives: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate should--
       (1) continue to support the National Domestic Violence 
     Hotline; and
       (2) commemorate the 10th anniversary of this critical 
     national resource that saves lives each day.

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senators 
Cornyn, Hutchison, Hatch, Specter, Leahy and Kennedy to submit a 
Resolution commemorating the 10th anniversary of a critical American 
resource--the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Operating 24 hours a

[[Page S1437]]

day, 365 days every year, in more than 140 different languages, with a 
TTY line available for the deaf, the Hotline offers confidential and 
anonymous help for victims of domestic violence, their families and 
friends.
  Located in Austin, TX, the National Domestic Violence Hotline was 
created in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. As I began to draft 
that Act over 15 years ago, I held many Congressional hearings and 
listened to hours of testimony from experts about how to craft an 
effective, coordinated community response to battering. One of the 
realities that was raised over and over in those hearings was how very 
difficult it was, and still is, for a battered woman to admit the 
abuse. It was, and still is, very difficult for a battered woman to 
report the abuse to the police or local prosecutor. In the Violence 
Against Women Act we created a safe haven--a place to talk about the 
abuse that offered lots of solutions and total anonymity, the National 
Domestic Violence Hotline.
  On February 21, 1996, the Hotline answered its first call, and since 
then has received over 1.5 million calls. Today, Hotline advocates 
answer as many as 600 calls per day and an average of 16,500 calls per 
month from women, men and children across the nation. These are real 
lives that have been dramatically changed by their first call to the 
National Domestic Violence Hotline. Over 60 percent of the Hotline 
callers report that this is their very first attempt to deal with the 
abuse--they hadn't told a friend yet, or reported it to the police.
  Each day Hotline advocates listen and respond to heart-wrenching 
pleas for help and information, and each day they offer their callers 
hope and help. I am pleased that the Senate can recognize their hard 
work with today's Senate Resolution commemorating its 10th anniversary. 
It is but a small token of this body's gratitude for the National 
Domestic Violence Hotline.

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