[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 188 (Tuesday, October 26, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H5876-H5877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Tlaib). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. O'Halleran) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. O'HALLERAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize October as 
Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

[[Page H5877]]

  As a former law enforcement officer, some of the very first calls I 
responded to involved domestic violence. During my years as a young 
officer, I saw firsthand the damage this uniquely heinous crime can do 
to survivors and their families. As a homicide investigator later, I 
saw it on a continual basis through the court system and the 
devastation that it means to families across America.
  This is an issue close to my heart and one I have focused my public 
policy efforts on from day one of my public service. Beginning with my 
time as a member of the Arizona legislature, all the way to the Halls 
of Congress, I have advocated for survivors, their children, and the 
resources needed to get whole families into stable and safe situations.
  That is why, as a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual 
Violence, I am proud to cosponsor a resolution to recognize the month 
of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to have championed 
legislation that uplifts survivors across Arizona.
  Together, as a Congress, we must commit to working to do whatever is 
in our power to secure justice for survivors both in and out of the 
courtroom.
  This week I will reintroduce my Help End Abusive Living Situations or 
HEALS Act.

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  My bill will assist survivors of domestic violence to rapidly secure 
safe housing situations by directing the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development to prioritize funds for transitional housing, rapid 
rehousing, and permanent supportive housing for survivors of domestic 
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
  No person experiencing these crimes should be forced to stay in a 
dangerous situation because they do not have housing elsewhere.
  The horrible legacy of domestic violence affects communities across 
our Nation, including Tribal communities.
  As the Representative of Arizona's First Congressional District, I am 
humbled to represent 12 Sovereign Tribal Nations. Federal data 
indicates that 55 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women 
have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner.
  However, it is estimated that less than 1 percent of the Crime 
Victims Fund reaches Tribes.
  This Congress, I reintroduced two of my bills that address domestic 
violence in Tribal communities.
  First, the SURVIVE Act, a bill to provide legal, medical, and 
counseling resources to women and children in Tribal communities who 
are survivors of domestic violence. This bill also corrects the Crime 
Victims Fund's allocation to Tribes, ensuring they receive a fair 
percentage of resources.
  Second, my Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act, bipartisan 
legislation that ensures children and law enforcement officials in 
Tribal communities are protected when present at domestic violence 
incidents.
  Currently, Tribes can convict non-Indian perpetrators of protection 
order violations, domestic violence, and dating violence.
  But under current law, both the children of survivors and law 
enforcement officers who risk their lives to save victims are not 
protected by these same laws. My bill extends this Tribal jurisdiction 
to cover kids and cops, who so often deal with dangerous domestic 
situations.
  I am committed to continued work with my colleagues in Congress, 
advocates on the ground in Arizona, and brave survivors. We hear you, 
and we believe you.
  To those experiencing domestic violence and to those who have lost a 
loved one to this heinous and deeply personal form of violence, let me 
say this: I know that we cannot ever truly know your pain, but we will 
keep fighting for change at every level.

                          ____________________