[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 130 (Tuesday, September 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H9546-H9547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CORRECTION TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD OF MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009, 
                             AT PAGE H9457

                                 ______
                                 

 RECOGNIZING THE PERSISTENTLY HIGH RATES OF DROWNING FATALITIES AMONG 
                                CHILDREN

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 57) expressing the importance of swimming lessons 
and recognizing the danger of drowning in the United States, especially 
among minority children, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 57

       Whereas the success of the United States Olympic swim team, 
     including the record-breaking eight gold medals won by 
     Michael Phelps, has brought great attention to swimming;
       Whereas a New York Times article entitled ``Despite Olympic 
     Gold, Swimming Statistics Are Grim'', highlighted the irony 
     of the United States Olympic glory in light of a shocking 
     number of drownings in the United States;
       Whereas the New York Times has also highlighted the 
     discrepancies in swimming education between African-American 
     children and White children in the article ``Everyone Into 
     the Water'';
       Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention (CDC), there were 3,582 unintentional and fatal 
     drownings in the United States in 2005 representing an 
     average of 10 drowning deaths each day;
       Whereas for every child who fatally drowns in the United 
     States, there are four near-drowning incidents that require 
     emergency care and can lead to brain damage resulting in 
     permanent disabilities ranging from loss of memory to the 
     loss of all basic functions;
       Whereas children are the most susceptible to fatal drowning 
     incidents with one out of four victims being 14 years old or 
     younger;
       Whereas drowning is the second most common unintentional 
     cause of death among children ages 1 to 14;
       Whereas minority drowning rates greatly exceed the rates of 
     White children;
       Whereas according to the CDC, the fatal drowning rate for 
     African-American children between the ages of 5 and 14 is 
     over three times higher than the rate for White children, and 
     the rate for American Indian and Alaska Native children is 
     over two times higher;
       Whereas according to a study by the University of Memphis, 
     almost 60 percent of African-American and Latino children do 
     not know how to swim as compared to roughly 30 percent of 
     White children;
       Whereas long-existing stigmas regarding minorities and 
     swimming have contributed to the lack of swimming education 
     in minority communities, and nonswimming minority families 
     are far less likely than nonswimming White families to enroll 
     in swimming lessons;
       Whereas according to the United States Census Bureau, in 
     2007, 33.7 percent of African-Americans, 28.6 percent of 
     Latinos, and 12.5 percent of Asian-Americans lived below the 
     poverty line as compared to 10.1 percent of Whites, and 
     swimming lessons can cost hundreds of dollars per course;
       Whereas the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act 
     was signed into law in December 2007 addressing the pressing 
     need for increased pool and spa safety requirements and 
     education to prevent accidental deaths by drowning;
       Whereas effective drowning prevention strategies require 
     several approaches such as supervision, fully gated pools, 
     CPR training, and swimming skills;
       Whereas the ability to swim is an important and essential 
     skill, and according to Safe Kids USA, in order to help 
     prevent drowning, children should be enrolled in swimming 
     lessons as early as age 4 to learn how to float, tread water, 
     and enter and exit the pool; and
       Whereas nonprofit initiatives, like the USA Swimming 
     Foundation's program ``Make A Splash'', are working hard to 
     meet the need for swimming lessons by partnering with local 
     communities to offer all children access to swimming 
     education: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses the importance of access to swimming lessons 
     for all communities in the United States as an integral part 
     of drowning prevention;
       (2) recognizes the danger of fatal unintentional drowning 
     in the United States;
       (3) condemns the persistently high rates of fatal drowning 
     among all children, and the particularly high rates of fatal 
     drowning among minority children;
       (4) celebrates the passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker 
     Pool and Spa Safety Act;
       (5) celebrates the work of initiatives like USA Swimming 
     Foundation's ``Make A Splash'' and Safe Kids USA to educate 
     parents and caregivers on water safety and drowning 
     prevention messages; and
       (6) encourages public and private funding to support 
     current and future initiatives that provide all children 
     access to swimming education.
                                 F_____
                                 

 CORRECTION TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD OF MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009, 
                             AT PAGE H9459

                                 ______
                                 

     RECOGNIZING 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 738) recognizing the 15th anniversary 
of the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

[[Page H9547]]

                              H. Res. 738

       Whereas in recognition of the severity of the crimes 
     associated with domestic violence, sexual assault, and 
     stalking, on September 13, 1994, President Bill Clinton 
     signed the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (hereinafter 
     referred to as ``VAWA'') as part of the Violent Crime Control 
     and Law Enforcement Act of 1994;
       Whereas subsequent reauthorizations of VAWA include the 
     Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (hereinafter referred to 
     as ``VAWA 2000''), signed by President Bill Clinton, and the 
     Violence Against Women Act and Department of Justice 
     Reauthorization Act of 2005 (hereinafter referred to as 
     ``VAWA 2005''), signed by President George W. Bush;
       Whereas VAWA was the first comprehensive legislative 
     package designed to end violence against women;
       Whereas the protections and provisions afforded by VAWA 
     were subsequently expanded and improved by VAWA 2000, which 
     created a legal assistance program for victims and expanded 
     the definition of domestic violence crimes to include dating 
     violence and stalking;
       Whereas VAWA and interventions funded by that Act have 
     reduced the incidence of domestic violence, have lowered 
     sexual assault rates, and have averted societal costs by 
     reducing the need for emergency and medical responses;
       Whereas VAWA has succeeded in bringing communities together 
     to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 
     assault, and stalking, including combined efforts by law 
     enforcement, prosecutors, courts, victim services, and 
     community-based programs to develop long-term plans for 
     addressing such crimes locally and statewide;
       Whereas VAWA has provided crucial Federal support to Indian 
     tribes to combat the problems of sexual and domestic violence 
     in Indian country;
       Whereas VAWA brings innovative practices to the field by 
     funding demonstration projects and training, and supporting 
     the development of specialized courts and police teams;
       Whereas the Sexual Assault Services program, authorized by 
     VAWA 2005, enabled the 1,300 rape crisis centers in the 
     United States to reduce waiting lists, reach out to 
     underserved communities, and provide more comprehensive 
     services to survivors of sexual assault;
       Whereas VAWA provides a means for many victims of domestic 
     violence who were dependent on their batterers for 
     immigration status to self-petition and obtain legal 
     immigration status on their own, and to access legal services 
     to flee violence and recover from trauma;
       Whereas organizations throughout the United States have 
     received grants under VAWA to provide legal assistance to 
     young victims of dating violence;
       Whereas VAWA has provided crucial Federal support for 
     efforts by criminal justice officials and victim service 
     providers to hold offenders accountable and to keep stalking 
     victims safe;
       Whereas the continued support of VAWA and subsequent Acts 
     combating violence against women is essential to best serve 
     the 3,400,000 individuals in the United States who are 
     stalked each year; and
       Whereas September 13, 2009, marked the 15th anniversary of 
     the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the 
     Violence Against Women Act of 1994;
       (2) continues to support the goals and ideals of the 
     Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and its subsequent 
     reauthorization Acts; and
       (3) recognizes the need to continue vigorous enforcement of 
     the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and 
     similar Acts and programs to deter and prosecute crimes of 
     violence against women.

                          ____________________