[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 25363-25364]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 317--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL 
   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH AND EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE 
  SENATE THAT CONGRESS SHOULD CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF DOMESTIC 
 VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES AND ITS DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON FAMILIES 
    AND COMMUNITIES, AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO END DOMESTIC 
                               VIOLENCE.

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. 
Gillibrand, Mr. Crapo, Ms. Collins, Mr. Specter, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. 
Stabenow, Mr. Kaufman, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Burris) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 317

       Whereas the President has designated October 2009 as 
     ``National Domestic Violence Awareness Month'';
       Whereas domestic violence affects people of all ages as 
     well as racial, ethnic, gender, economic, and religious 
     backgrounds;
       Whereas females are disproportionately victims of domestic 
     violence, and 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence 
     at some point in her life;
       Whereas on average, more than 3 women are murdered by their 
     husbands or boyfriends in the United States every day;
       Whereas in 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by an intimate 
     partner constituting 78 percent of all intimate partner 
     homicides that year;
       Whereas a 2001 study by the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention found that female intimate partners are more 
     likely to be murdered with a firearm than all other means 
     combined;
       Whereas women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates, 
     per capita, of intimate partner violence;
       Whereas 1 out of 3 Native American women will be raped and 
     6 out of 10 will be physically assaulted in their lifetimes;
       Whereas the cost of intimate partner violence exceeds 
     $5,800,000,000 each year, $4,100,000 of which is for direct 
     medical and mental health care services;
       Whereas \1/4\ to \1/2\ of domestic violence victims report 
     that they have lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic 
     violence;
       Whereas the annual cost of lost productivity due to 
     domestic violence is estimated at $727,800,000 with over 
     7,900,000 paid workdays lost per year;
       Whereas some landlords deny housing to victims of domestic 
     violence who have protection orders or evict victims of 
     domestic violence for seeking help after a domestic violence 
     incident, such as by calling 911, or who have other 
     indications that they are domestic violence victims;
       Whereas 92 percent of homeless women experience severe 
     physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lifetimes;
       Whereas approximately 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse 
     women also abuse children;
       Whereas approximately 15,500,000 children are exposed to 
     domestic violence every year;
       Whereas children exposed to domestic violence are more 
     likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away 
     from home, and engage in teenage prostitution;
       Whereas one large study found that men exposed to physical 
     abuse, sexual abuse, and adult domestic violence as children 
     were almost 4 times more likely than other men to have 
     perpetrated domestic violence as adults;
       Whereas nearly 1,500,000 high school students nationwide 
     experienced physical abuse from a dating partner in a single 
     year;
       Whereas 13 percent of teenage girls who have been in a 
     relationship report being hit or hurt by their partners and 1 
     in 4 teenage girls has been in a relationship in which she 
     was pressured by her partner into performing sexual acts;
       Whereas adolescent girls who reported dating violence were 
     60 percent more likely to report one or more suicide attempts 
     in the past year;
       Whereas there is a need for middle schools, secondary 
     schools, and post-secondary schools to educate students about 
     the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating 
     violence, and stalking;
       Whereas 88 percent of men in a national poll reported that 
     they think that our society should do more to respect women 
     and girls;
       Whereas a recently released multi-State study shows 
     conclusively that the Nation's domestic violence shelters are 
     addressing victims' urgent and long-term needs and are 
     helping victims protect themselves and their children;
       Whereas a 2008 National Census Survey reported that 60,799 
     adults and children were served by domestic violence shelters 
     and programs around the Nation in a single day;
       Whereas those same understaffed programs were unable to 
     meet 8,927 requests for help that day;
       Whereas there is a need to increase funding for programs 
     aimed at intervening and preventing domestic violence in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to 
     preventing and ending domestic violence should be recognized: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic 
     Violence Awareness Month; and
       (2) expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should 
     continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the 
     United States and its devastating effects on families and 
     communities, and support programs designed to end domestic 
     violence.

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise to speak about an issue that has 
been very important to me for a long time, when I was a prosecutor as 
well as a member of the Judiciary Committee with the Senate; that is, 
domestic violence.
  I am here because I am submitting a resolution supporting the goals 
and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A number of 
our colleagues are cosponsoring the resolution. I am also here on 
behalf of Pam Taschuk.
  The police in Lino Lakes, MN, knew Pam Taschuk and they knew her 
husband Allen. The police knew both of them because of the dozens of 
911 calls that had been made about Mr. Allen over the last 15 years. He 
bullied his wife, their sons, and other people so many times that local 
police had set up a special tactical response plan just to respond to 
calls at the Taschuk house.
  Pam Taschuk was not your ordinary domestic violence victim, if there 
is such a thing. She was actually a juvenile probation officer and so 
many police I know in Minnesota knew her. They worked with her. She was 
a long-time probation officer and had worked in the field for years. 
She was also a social worker. So it goes to show you anyone can be a 
victim of domestic violence.
  In January of 2008, Pam called the police and reported that her 
husband had threatened to kill her, that Allen Taschuk had threatened 
to kill her. On August 25 of this year, Allen Taschuk bloodied Pam's 
nose, split her lip, and trapped her in their home overnight. He was 
arrested, but he posted bail and was released.
  On October 1, 2009, the Lino Lakes Police Department received the 
last 911 call they would ever get about Allen Taschuk. On that day, 
Allen Taschuk called 911 himself to preemptively report a shooting at 
his house. By the time the police arrived at his home, both he and Pam 
Taschuk were dead of gunshot wounds.
  This happened last month in our State. This looks like a murder-
suicide. Of course, it looks like Allen killed Pam before finally 
turning the gun on himself. But we do not need to speculate about the 
final end order to focus on the sad prelude to this story--so many 
previous 911 calls, so many earlier acts of violence, yet another 
victim of what some domestic violence advocates have called the war at 
home; a war that affected Pam, their children, and the community at 
large.
  The most disturbing part of this story is Pam's death is not a tragic 
anomaly. Pam is one of 200 Minnesota women killed as a result of 
domestic violence since 2000.
  That is why I am submitting a resolution today to designate October 
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, because Pam Taschuk and too 
many other women and children have to fight this ``war at home'' every 
day.
  In the past several decades, thanks to the work of many individuals 
and organizations, there has been a sea change in the way our society 
looks at the issue of domestic violence. Police, the courts, and the 
public used to consider it a private family matter. Not surprisingly, 
domestic violence was the No. 1 underreported crime in the country.
  Today, there is much more awareness, and we have started to pass 
critical legislation at both the State and Federal level to combat 
domestic violence. So there has been a lot of progress, but there is 
still a lot more to be done.
  Last year, a survey done by the National Network to End Domestic 
Violence found that in 1 day, while more than 60,000 people received 
help from

[[Page 25364]]

domestic violence programs, nearly 9,000 requests for help went 
unanswered because the resources were not there.
  The current statistics are staggering. Currently, one in four women 
will experience abuse. More than three women are killed every day by 
their husbands or boyfriends. Millions of children witness abuse every 
year, some studies say as many as 10 million children.
  I remember the cases we had when I was county attorney for Hennepin 
County. When we looked at the records of someone who was an offender, 
we would find way back in the records that they lived in a home where 
there was domestic violence. In fact, statistics show that a child who 
grows up in a home where there is domestic violence is 76 times more 
likely to commit an act of domestic violence. That is why we had a 
poster framed in the hallway of our office. It was a picture of a woman 
with a Band-Aid on her nose, holding a little baby, and the words under 
the picture read: ``Beat your wife and your son will go to jail.''
  We all must recognize as well that it doesn't take a bruise or a 
broken bone for a child to be a victim of domestic violence. Kids who 
witness this violence are victims too. Witnessing violence between 
adults in the home, especially when it is repeated and ongoing, 
inflicts a real trauma on kids that can have damaging effects for years 
to come. In many respects, ending the cycle of violence in communities 
begins by getting violence out of the home because a violent home is, 
in fact, a factory for producing a new generation of violent offenders.
  When I was a county attorney, I saw firsthand how domestic abuse 
harmed women and children, destroyed families, and challenged local law 
enforcement agencies, the court system, social service, and health care 
providers. We actually had a recent shooting of a well-respected and 
longtime police officer who was killed responding to a domestic abuse 
call. Both the prevention and prosecution of domestic violence were 
always among my top priorities when I was county attorney. We had one 
of the most landmark, cutting-edge domestic abuse service centers in 
the country, and still do in Hennepin County.
  Sheila Wellstone, whom we honored this month for Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month, would always point to the work in that center. It was 
a one-stop shop. It is hard enough for lawyers to get through the 
redtape of a courtroom. This was a place where a victim of domestic 
violence, man or woman, could get a protective order signed, fill out a 
complaint, talk to a police officer, with a play area for children. 
Also--and this was unique for this center--there were representatives 
from domestic violence shelters there so they could find a place to 
live.
  The other challenge I found we had in these cases was working with 
the victims so the case could be prosecuted after they filed the 
complaint. That is why it is so important we reauthorize the Violence 
Against Women Act. It was landmark legislation when it was passed over 
15 years ago. It has helped to train police so they do a better job 
dealing with victims and children of domestic violence. It also gives 
them a sense, when they go to the scene, of the kind of evidence they 
should look for. Many times victims get scared and decide not to 
prosecute. We have had many cases where we could prosecute with a 
reticent victim simply because of the evidence police were able to 
gather at the scene.
  The Violence Against Women Act created a new culture for police 
officers, judges, and those who work in the courthouse to treat this 
crime as the serious crime it is. It is a very important tool, and it 
must be reauthorized. As a member of the Judiciary Committee and one of 
two women on the committee, I look forward to working hard to 
reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in 2010.
  During tough economic times, we need to be extra vigilant against 
domestic violence. Millions of Americans have already lost their jobs, 
their homes, or their retirement savings. Some have lost all three. 
This kind of stress in the home and in the checkbook can lead to 
substance abuse and acts of violence. We need to make sure law 
enforcement has the tools it needs to protect families. That is why in 
the Economic Recovery Act, we included $225 million for Violence 
Against Women Programs and $100 million for programs that are part of 
the Victims of Crime Act. We also provided critical funding for law 
enforcement to keep cops on the street and support law enforcement 
programs and services through the Byrne Grant Program.
  There is so much at stake, and there is so much each of us can still 
do to make a difference. We have to remember that any act of domestic 
violence hurts not only the individual victim, it hurts their family 
and hurts our community at large.
  I will always remember a case we prosecuted when I was county 
attorney that brought home that point to me. It was a very sad case. 
The victim was a Russian immigrant. She was very isolated from the 
community, didn't have many friends, a victim of domestic violence, 
they later learned, over the years. Her husband murdered her one day. 
They had a little 4-year-old girl. I don't want to get into the gory 
details of what happened with her body, but he basically sickly brought 
her body to another State with the 4-year-old girl in the back seat. He 
later confessed to the crime, and there was a little service. I say 
``little'' because the only people at the funeral service were her 
parents, who were from Russia, and her identical twin sister, the 
victim's identical twin sister. I was there, and the victim witness 
advocate was there. That was it. The little 4-year-old girl, I was 
told, had been at the airport when the plane came in from Russia to 
meet for the first time her grandmother and her now deceased mother's 
identical twin sister.
  When they got off the plane and came into the airport, this little 
girl ran across the airport and hugged that identical twin sister and 
said: Mommy, mommy, mommy. She thought it was her mother who had come 
back.
  That moment and that story always remind me that when we are talking 
about domestic violence, it is not just one victim. It is the children 
and it is our entire community. That is why it is so important we 
recognize Domestic Violence Month as well as reauthorize the Violence 
Against Women Act.
  I thank Senators Leahy, Kohl, Feingold, Gillibrand, Crapo, Collins, 
Specter, Landrieu, Stabenow, Kaufman, Durbin, Brown, and Senator 
Burris, the Presiding Officer, for being cosponsors. I invite all other 
colleagues to join us.
  I am proud to come from a State that has long been a leader in a 
nationwide effort to end domestic violence. We opened one of the first 
shelters in the country in 1974, and we started one of the first 
programs aimed at addressing batterers in the early 1980s. The city of 
Duluth, MN, was the first city to mandate that its police officers make 
arrests in domestic abuse cases. The city of Duluth in northern 
Minnesota recognized before the rest of the country that violence is 
violence, whether it is perpetrated by someone you love or a stranger 
on the street.
  We can never stop working on behalf of women, children, and families 
everywhere to end domestic violence.
  I ask unanimous consent to add Senator Burris as a cosponsor of the 
resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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