[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 26876-26877]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RAISING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING PREVENTION OF STALKING

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 359, S. Con. 
Res. 58.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 58) expressing the 
     sense of Congress with respect to raising awareness and 
     encouraging prevention of stalking in the United States and 
     supporting the goals and ideals of National Stalking 
     Awareness Month.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on 
the Judiciary with an amendment, an amendment to the preamble, and an 
amendment to the title.
  [Strike the parts, shown in black brackets and insert the parts shown 
in italic.]

                            S. Con. Res. 58

       [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 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 address, 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 there are national organizations, local victim 
     service organizations, prosecutors' offices, and police 
     departments who stand ready to assist stalking victims and 
     who are working diligently to craft competent, thorough, and 
     innovative responses to stalking; and
       [Whereas there is a need to enhance the criminal justice 
     system's response to stalking and stalking victims, including 
     aggressive investigation and prosecution: Now, therefore, be 
     it]
       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 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 address, 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 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 Congress urges the establishment of January, 2004 
     as National Stalking Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That--
       [(1) it is the sense of Congress 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 availability of services for stalking victims;
       [(2) Congress urges national and community organizations, 
     businesses in the private sector, and the media to promote, 
     through National Stalking Awareness Month, awareness of the 
     crime of stalking; and
       [(3) Congress supports the goals and ideals of National 
     Stalking Awareness Month.]
       (1) it is the sense of Congress 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 availability of services for stalking victims; and
       (2) Congress urges national and community organizations, 
     businesses in the private sector, and the media to promote, 
     through National Stalking Awareness Month, awareness of the 
     crime of stalking.

  Amend the title so as to read: ``Resolution raising awareness and 
encouraging prevention of stalking by urging the establishment of 
January 2004 as National Stalking Awareness Month.''.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment 
be agreed to, the concurrent resolution as amended, be agreed to, the 
amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be 
agreed to, the title amendment be agreed to, the motions to reconsider 
be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the 
resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 58), as amended, was agreed 
to.
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title amendment was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 58

       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 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 address, 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 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 Congress urges the establishment of January, 2004 
     as National Stalking Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That--
       (1) it is the sense of Congress 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 availability of services for stalking victims; and

[[Page 26877]]

       (2) Congress urges national and community organizations, 
     businesses in the private sector, and the media to promote, 
     through National Stalking Awareness Month, awareness of the 
     crime of stalking.

                          ____________________