[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S7835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 663--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL 
   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH AND EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE 
  SENATE THAT CONGRESS SHOULD CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF DOMESTIC 
 VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES AND ITS DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON FAMILIES 
AND COMMUNITIES, AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Specter, Mr. 
Kohl, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Landrieu, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Franken, Mr. 
Brown of Ohio, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Feingold, and 
Mrs. Boxer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 663

       Whereas National Domestic Violence Awareness Month will be 
     observed during October 2010;
       Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages and 
     all racial, ethnic, gender, economic, and religious 
     backgrounds;
       Whereas females are disproportionately victims of domestic 
     violence, and 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence 
     at some point in her life;
       Whereas, on average, more than 3 women are murdered by 
     their husbands or boyfriends in the United States every day;
       Whereas, in 2007, 1,640 women were murdered by an intimate 
     partner, and were the victims of 70 percent of all intimate 
     partner homicides that year;
       Whereas women from 16 to 24 years of age experience the 
     highest rates, per capita, of intimate partner violence;
       Whereas 1 out of 3 Native American women will be raped and 
     6 out of 10 will be physically assaulted in their lifetimes;
       Whereas, in 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention estimated that the costs of intimate partner 
     violence exceeded $8,300,000,000, including the cost of 
     medical care, mental health services, and lost productivity;
       Whereas \1/4\ to \1/2\ of domestic violence victims report 
     that they have lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic 
     violence;
       Whereas the annual cost of lost productivity due to 
     domestic violence is estimated at $727,800,000 with more than 
     7,900,000 paid workdays lost per year;
       Whereas some landlords deny housing to victims of domestic 
     violence who have protection orders or evict victims of 
     domestic violence who seek help after a domestic violence 
     incident, such as by calling 911, or who have other 
     indications that they are domestic violence victims;
       Whereas 92 percent of homeless women experience severe 
     physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lifetimes;
       Whereas approximately 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse 
     women also abuse children;
       Whereas it is critical to ensure that children who are 
     exposed to domestic violence are placed in the protective 
     care of a responsible and loving parent or guardian;
       Whereas a study of over 17,000 adults by the Centers for 
     Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente found 
     that children who live with their abusers are at high risk 
     for grave medical, psychological, and behavioral disorders 
     and even death;
       Whereas approximately 15,500,000 children are exposed to 
     domestic violence every year;
       Whereas children exposed to domestic violence are more 
     likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away 
     from home, and engage in teenage prostitution;
       Whereas one large study found that men exposed to physical 
     abuse, sexual abuse, and adult domestic violence as children 
     were almost 4 times more likely than other men to have 
     perpetrated domestic violence as adults;
       Whereas nearly 1,500,000 high school students nationwide 
     experienced physical abuse from a dating partner in a single 
     year;
       Whereas 13 percent of teenage girls who have been in a 
     relationship report being hit or hurt by their partners and 1 
     in 4 teenage girls has been in a relationship in which she 
     was pressured by her partner into performing sexual acts;
       Whereas adolescent girls who reported dating violence were 
     60 percent more likely to report one or more suicide attempts 
     in the past year;
       Whereas there is a need for middle schools, secondary 
     schools, and post-secondary schools to educate students about 
     the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating 
     violence, and stalking;
       Whereas 88 percent of men in a national poll reported that 
     they think that our society should do more to respect women 
     and girls;
       Whereas a multi-State study shows conclusively that the 
     domestic violence shelters in the United States are 
     addressing urgent and long-term needs of victims and are 
     helping victims protect themselves and their children;
       Whereas a 2009 National Census Survey reported that 65,321 
     adults and children were served by domestic violence shelters 
     and programs around the United States in a single day and 
     those same understaffed programs were unable to meet 9,280 
     requests for help on that same day;
       Whereas there is a need to support programs aimed at 
     intervening and preventing domestic violence in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to 
     preventing and ending domestic violence should be recognized: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic 
     Violence Awareness Month; and
       (2) expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should 
     continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the 
     United States and its devastating effects on families and 
     communities, and support programs designed to end domestic 
     violence.

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