[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORTING AND COMMENDING THE NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
537, and the Senate proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 537), supporting the National Sexual 
     Assault Hotline and commending the Hotline for counseling and 
     supporting more than 1,000,000 callers.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded 
to consider the resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the resolution be printed in the Record as if read without further 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 537) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 537

       Whereas it is estimated that a sexual assault occurs every 
     2.5 minutes in the United States and more than 200,000 people 
     in the United States each year are victims of sexual assault;
       Whereas 1 of every 6 women and 1 of every 33 men in the 
     United States have been victims of rape or attempted rape, 
     according to the Department of Justice;
       Whereas the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation rank rape second only to murder in the 
     hierarchy of violent crimes;
       Whereas research suggests that sexual assault victims who 
     receive counseling are more likely to report the assault to 
     the police and to participate in the prosecution of the 
     offender;
       Whereas, in June 2006, the National Sexual Assault Hotline 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``Hotline'') helped its 
     1,000,000th caller;
       Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per 
     year, offering important, free, and confidential crisis 
     intervention, support, information, and referrals for victims 
     of sexual assault and their friends and families;
       Whereas the Hotline was created by the Rape, Abuse & Incest 
     National Network (referred to in this preamble as ``RAINN''), 
     a non-profit corporation, the headquarters of which are 
     located in Washington, D.C.;
       Whereas the Hotline answered its first call on July 27, 
     1994, and operated solely with private funds for the first 10 
     years the Hotline was in existence;
       Whereas RAINN continues to operate the Hotline today, in 
     partnership with 1,100 local rape crisis centers in the 50 
     States and the District of Columbia and with over 10,000 
     trained volunteers and staff, and in collaboration with 
     coalitions against sexual assault in each of the 50 States;
       Whereas the Hotline helps an average of 11,000 people each 
     month and in 2005 helped 137,039 women, men, and children 
     across the Nation;
       Whereas the public education and outreach undertaken by 
     RAINN and local rape crisis centers have increased public 
     awareness of sexual violence and contributed to a 58-percent 
     decline in crimes of sexual violence since 1993;
       Whereas the Hotline has experienced a significant increase 
     in call volume as public awareness of sexual violence has 
     grown, with calls to the Hotline increasing by 43 percent 
     since 2003;
       Whereas millions of Americans have learned of the services 
     available through the Hotline, thanks to the public service 
     promotion contributed by every national broadcast television 
     network, a dozen cable networks, and more than 1,000 radio 
     stations, newspapers, and magazines; and
       Whereas the Hotline serves as an outstanding example of a 
     successful partnership between the Federal Government, the 
     private sector, and individuals: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the National Sexual Assault Hotline; and
       (2) commends the National Sexual Assault Hotline for 
     counseling and supporting more than 1,000,000 callers.

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