[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14770]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE SECURITY AND FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT ACT

  (Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) for including the Security and Financial 
Empowerment Act in her comprehensive VAWA bill.
  Domestic violence, in addition to being a personal tragedy, costs 
employers millions of dollars in sick leave, absenteeism and loss of 
productivity, and it causes thousands of victims to lose their job, 
forcing them to stay in an abusive relationship when unable to provide 
for themselves and their children.
  The provisions of the SAFE Act protect the economic security of these 
victims by permitting up to 30 days of unpaid leave to see a doctor, go 
to court or find a safe place to live. Further, it prohibits insurers 
from dropping their coverage due to this violence, and it assures that 
women forced to leave their lives because of this abuse are eligible 
for unemployment compensation.
  Finally, the bill creates a resource center for businesses seeking to 
help employees who suffer from domestic violence.
  Mr. Speaker, the SAFE Act is an important bill that must be included 
in the reauthorization of VAWA. It helps employers to keep valuable 
employees, and it empowers victims of domestic violence to leave their 
abuser.

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