[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT OF 1994

  (Mrs. BIGGERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, October is National Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month, a time for us to reflect upon the damage done to 
American society by domestic violence.
  Scratch the surface of any of our Nation's most challenging social 
problems, from crime in schools to gang violence and homelessness, and 
one is likely to find the root cause is domestic violence.
  Law enforcement officials report that domestic violence calls are 
among their most frequent. Judges find that children first seen in 
their courts as victims of domestic violence return later as adult 
criminal defendants. Schools report that children with emotional 
problems often come from environments where violence is the norm.
  What does this tell us? It tells us that violence begets violence, 
and it is incumbent on all of us to try and break the cycle. That is 
exactly what the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, of 1994 has helped 
us to do over the last 6 years.
  Let us get to the President's desk now the 5-year reauthorization of 
VAWA. It is a vital investment in this Nation's future.

                          ____________________