[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H422-H424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL STALKING AWARENESS MONTH
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 852) raising awareness and encouraging
prevention of stalking by establishing January 2008 as ``National
Stalking Awareness Month,'' as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 852
Whereas an estimated 1,006,970 women and 370,990 men are
stalked annually in the United States and, in the majority of
such cases, the person is stalked by someone who is not a
stranger;
Whereas 81 percent of women, who are stalked by an intimate
partner, are also physically assaulted by that partner, and
76 percent of women, who are killed by an intimate partner,
were also stalked by that intimate partner;
Whereas 74.2 percent of stalking victims reported that the
stalking partner interfered with their employment, 26 percent
of stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their
victimization, and 7 percent never return to work;
Whereas stalking victims are forced to take drastic
measures to protect themselves, such as relocating, changing
their addresses, changing their identities, changing jobs,
and obtaining protection orders;
Whereas stalking is a crime that cuts across race, culture,
gender, age, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability,
and economic status;
Whereas stalking is a crime under Federal law and under the
laws of all 50 States and the District of Columbia;
Whereas rapid advancements in technology have made cyber-
surveillance the new frontier in stalking;
Whereas there are national organizations, local victim
service organizations, prosecutors' offices, and police
departments that stand ready to assist stalking victims and
who are working diligently to craft competent, thorough, and
innovative responses to stalking;
Whereas there is a need to enhance the criminal justice
system's response to stalking and stalking victims, including
aggressive investigation and prosecution; and
Whereas the House of Representatives urges the
establishment of January 2008 as National Stalking Awareness
Month: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(A) National Stalking Awareness Month provides an
opportunity to educate the people of the United States about
stalking;
(B) all Americans should applaud the efforts of the many
victim service providers, police, prosecutors, national and
community organizations, and private sector supporters for
their efforts in promoting awareness about stalking; and
(C) policymakers, criminal justice officials, victim
service and human service agencies, nonprofits, and others
should recognize the need to increase awareness of stalking
and the availability of services for stalking victims; and
(2) the House of Representatives urges national and
community organizations, businesses in the private sector,
and the media to promote awareness of the crime of stalking
through National Stalking Awareness Month.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Res. 852, joining the
strong bipartisan effort to raise awareness in the toll that stalking
takes on our society. Every year, stalking affects approximately 1.4
million Americans of both genders, all races, ages, sexual orientation,
disabilities, and economic status.
The consequences of stalking are serious. Stalking can paralyze the
victim with fear, which is well founded, because stalking often leads
to physical attacks from the victim. Indeed, the overwhelming majority
of States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government not
only recognize stalking as a crime, but categorize it as a felony.
Stalkers cause their victims severe emotional distress, including
anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and depression, all of which can
affect all aspects on a person's life, including family, social
activities and work. In fact, the emotional distress is so disabling
that 11 percent of stalking victims have been forced to relocate their
homes, 30 percent report seeking psychological counseling, and 74
percent report being stalked in a way that interferes with their
employment.
Of course, the ultimate threat of stalking is to the victim's very
life.
Over 75 percent of women murdered by an intimate partner had been
stalked by that partner, and 54 percent of female murder victims had
reported being stalked to police before being killed by their stalkers.
With the rapid advancements in technology, stalkers
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have ever-increasing access to personal information of their victims,
raising their victims' vulnerability to an all-time high.
For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.
Res. 852 and recognizing January 2008 as National Stalking Awareness
Month.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I support House Resolution 852 and commend the sponsor
of this legislation, my friend and Texas colleague, Representative Ted
Poe, for his dedication and commitment to this issue.
The goal of this resolution is to raise awareness and encourage
prevention of stalking by establishing January 2008 as National
Stalking Awareness Month.
Stalking, conduct intended to instill fear in a victim, is a crime
that occurs in every State in our Nation. Stalkers pursue and harass
victims and, in some cases, use the Internet to cyberstalk victims.
Cyberstalkers can systematically flood their target's e-mail inbox with
obscene, hateful, or threatening messages.
Cyberstalkers may also assume the identity of their victim and post
information, fictitious or not, to solicit unwanted responses from
others. Although cyberstalking does not involve physical contact with
the victim, it is still a serious crime. The widespread use of the
Internet and the ease with which hackers can find personal information
has made this form of stalking more accessible.
According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, over 1 million
women and almost 400,000 men are stalked each year in the United
States. In fact, most victims, 77 percent of women and 64 percent of
men, know their stalkers. These statistics are a jarring reminder of
the scope and seriousness of this crime.
By establishing January 2008 as National Stalking Awareness Month,
Congress educates Americans about stalking, recognizes and applauds law
enforcement officials and victim service providers for their efforts to
combat stalking, and increases awareness of services available to
stalking victims.
Madam Speaker, I urge colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I recognize my colleague and
friend from Texas, the author of this resolution, Mr. Poe.
Mr. POE. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.
Madam Speaker, as the sponsor of the 2008 National Stalking Awareness
Month resolution, I hope this resolution serves as a unifying force for
community leaders, policymakers, victim service providers, and able to
educate Americans on the serious dangers of stalking. It is a crime
that annually affects more than 1 million women and over 400,000 men in
our country.
As the cochairman and founder of the Congressional Victims Rights
Caucus, and my experience as a prosecutor and a judge, I had met with
countless victims and victim service providers about the dangers of
stalking.
Unfortunately, stalking is not an isolated occurrence. Two-thirds of
the stalkers pursue their victims at least once a week, sometimes
daily. Victims often feel that there is no safe place for them to go,
no safe place to hide, not even in their homes. Stalking forces victims
to relocate, lose their jobs, and cycle into severe depression and
anxiety. Some victims live in quiet, desperate lives of fear.
With today's advanced technology, protecting Americans from stalking
is even more challenging. Stalkers have a wide range of technologies to
pursue on their victims. They use cell phones. They use fax machines,
computer spyware, and GPS systems all to track the victim. The Internet
now serves cyberstalkers looking for a place to threaten and harass.
Even pedophiles on the prowl use cyberstalking for their next victim.
Stalking rates are on the rise because of the new technologies in the
Internet. Stalking has only been criminalized in our country for 28
years. California was the first State to make stalking a crime. Like
domestic violence, stalking is about power, intimidation, and control
over the victim.
While stalking is now a crime in every State and the District of
Columbia and the Federal Government, stalking often leads to other
crimes, including physical assault, sexual assault, and murder.
Stalking laws are basic to the individual right to be left alone and
the right of privacy.
The best way to attack the threat of stalking is through law
enforcement and education.
I encourage victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors,
and community leaders to promote awareness of stalking, and I thank
them for their efforts in making life better for victims.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my friend
from California (Mr. Royce) who is the original author of the
Interstate Stalking Punishment and Prevention Act.
Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I was
the author of both the California law that first criminalized the act
of stalking, first made it a felony, and then the Federal law some
years later in 1996, which proceeded to do the same thing.
I thought I would share with the Members here some of the experiences
of some of the victims that have gone through this particularly hellish
nightmare of stalking. The case that I think carried the day in
California in the State legislature was that of Kathleen Gallagher
Baty, who was our witness, and she came back here and testified as well
on behalf of this legislation.
Kathleen had been on the track team, I think it was UCLA at the time.
She did not even know her stalker, but he became obsessed with this
young woman. Throughout college, throughout her career, he managed to
stalk and attempt to apprehend her. Time after time, there was nothing
law enforcement could do except to really say, well, until he catches
you, our hands are tied.
We had one period of time in 6 weeks when four different young women,
all known to law enforcement, all believed to be in danger in Orange
County, California, were all killed. In law enforcement, one of the
officers told me, The worst thing for me personally that I have ever
had to do with this job was to convey to her that our hands were tied
until she was attacked.
He said, As a matter of fact, I was waiting to try to apprehend her
stalker in the act of the attack, but, unfortunately, he killed her
first, and then he killed himself when I tried to apprehend him.
Well, with Kathleen Gallagher's case, this finally ended. I had
gotten a note from her father about what she had been through in her
life. This finally ended on a porch in which he held her at knifepoint
until she finally managed to get away. But because he hadn't drug her
more than 800 feet, it was not an act of him trying to kidnap her under
the law.
So looking at what had to be done, clearly, we had to take the action
of stalking, define it as a crime in and of itself so that law
enforcement could then intervene in these cases and tell a young man,
Listen, these acts of threatening to kill your victim, telling her, if
you can't have her, nobody can, threatening her in this way is now a
felony.
That's what we did in California. Many other States picked this up.
In 1996, I introduced the Interstate Stalking Punishment and Prevention
Act here in Congress. We were able to get it through the House and the
Senate, and it was signed by the President.
But what I wanted to share with the Members is that we have talked a
little bit today about the 1.4 million victims every year. But this act
is now law in countries, in Europe; it's now law in Japan. My office
has been contacted over the years by many, many governments overseas,
many legislators, parliamentarians who have said, We have this same
phenomenon in our own country. If we gave law enforcement this ability
to intercede in advance, we could protect the lives of many, many
victims.
So I just wanted to share with the Members here a little bit of the
history of the act. I would like to take this opportunity also to
recognize Colleen Campbell, along with some of the other
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Orange County victims' rights groups that worked over the years to get
victims the rights they deserve. They worked on this particular act and
also on proposition 115 out in California, the Crime Victims/Speedy
Trial Initiative, which I cochaired and which was passed overwhelmingly
by the voters in our State.
One of my hopes is that we can follow this up with Federal law at
some point in time that does more than just put it in statute but that
puts into the Constitution some of these basic rights.
But, in the meantime, the fact that we are establishing January as
National Stalking Awareness Month gives us the opportunity to get the
word out to young people, to those who are victims of obsessed
stalkers, that there is a place they can turn to for help, and to
remind law enforcement, and I wish we did more to train law enforcement
in this particular area because I think there is a lot they can do to
intercede, but to remind them of the ability to step in and remind
those young, obsessed people who are threatening the life of someone,
threatening someone with bodily harm, this is now a felony in the
United States of America and you can serve 5 years in a Federal
penitentiary.
{time} 1430
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) who is a senior distinguished member of the
Judiciary Committee.
Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 852, a
resolution which establishes January 2008 as National Stalking
Awareness Month. And I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) for his
leadership on this issue. I also thank the ranking member, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) for his leadership, as well as the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).
Last year, 2007 represented the first national effort to recognize
January as National Stalking Awareness Month. I would encourage all of
my colleagues to continue their support for this resolution since
stalking is much more dangerous than many people believe it is.
Unlike the glamorized stalking scenes depicted in some Hollywood
movies, in reality stalking is dangerous and considered a criminal act
in all 50 States and in the District of Columbia and by the Federal
Government. More than 1.4 million Americans are victims of stalkers in
this country every year. Stalking victims are both men and women from
all socioeconomic backgrounds, and they are often stalked by intimate
partners.
Additional statistics released by the National Center for Victims of
Crime are even more disturbing. These statistics reveal that 81 percent
of female stalking victims are also physically assaulted. One out of
every five stalking cases involves the use of a weapon, and one-third
of stalkers are repeat offenders. They have done it before.
These statistics indicate that stalking is not as harmless as some
would lead us to believe in the movies or on television shows. We must
continue to bring attention to the dangers stalkers pose in our
communities and the services and the resources available to respond and
address this criminal activity. Passage of H. Res. 852 is an important
step in accomplishing this goal.
I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) and the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for their
leadership on this issue. I encourage my colleagues to support this
resolution.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their
leadership on this issue and I urge the House to support this important
legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 852, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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