[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 113 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1529]]
          TERI ZENNER--SOCIAL WORKER KILLED IN PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 16, 2007

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, I would like to tell you about the silent war 
of crime on the social worker community of America.
  Teri Zenner loved being a social worker. In August 2004, Teri went to 
check on a routine visit to a mentally unstable client, to make sure 
that he was taking his medication. When she went into the client's 
home, he accosted her with a knife and ordered her up into his bedroom, 
holding her hostage.
  What his intentions for Teri were are not known. He never got the 
chance to act on them. He lived with his mother and she came home early 
from work that day. His mother heard Teri's cries from the lower level 
of the house and went to investigate.
  Opening the door to her son's bedroom, the mother saw Teri being held 
hostage by her son. Teri, seeing her one opportunity to escape, ran for 
the door. As she tried to free herself, her captor stabbed her in the 
throat. She continued her desperate run for freedom, but her attacker 
gave chase and continued to stab her over and over. He then went up to 
his bedroom, where he had a chainsaw, and continued his assault on Teri 
with it. Teri Zenner was 26 years old. She died because she was trying 
to make sure that her attacker had been taking care of himself.
  I have met Teri's husband, Matt, a wonderful man--he too is a victim 
of his wife's homicide.
  I would like to thank Congressman Dennis Moore, KS, for bringing this 
homicide to the attention of Congress. The issue of social worker 
safety has become vitally important in the United States. They are 
literally on the front lines of social violence in our country.

  Social workers are required to respond to homes to evaluate claims of 
child abuse and neglect. Many of these situations require that the 
workers remove the children from the home, a solution that angers the 
accused parents. These types of situations leave social workers 
vulnerable to escalating situations and threats of violence, without 
the training or resources necessary to protect themselves.
  As the saying goes, ``No good deed goes unpunished.'' The good they 
do for our community is sometimes punished by people in the community. 
In 2005 and 2006, in Texas, there were several attacks on social 
workers. One of those attacks resulted in a social worker being 
murdered. According to Texas social workers, they are subjected to 
being ``threatened, cursed at, chased by dogs, spit upon, and run out 
of houses by angry parents.''
  It has become essential for this Nation to protect those who work to 
protect our children, and others, in our society. For these reasons, 
Congressman Dennis Moore has introduced H.R. 2165--Teri Zenner Social 
Worker Safety Act, which I am an original cosponsor. This legislation 
will establish grants to provide social workers, domestic violence 
outreach staff, and other individuals who work with at-risk populations 
with workplace safety measures, equipment, and training.
  These crimes affect all States and all districts throughout the 
Nation--and these individuals should not worry about their personal 
safety while striving to protect the most vulnerable victims--children.
  Social workers are the second highest at-risk group of people in our 
society. The first are peace officers. Social workers deserve our 
protection.
  Madam Speaker, we need to get to a place in our country where we no 
longer have the need to name laws after murder victims.
  And that's just the way it is.

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