[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10915-10917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1445
   SUPPORTING NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 104) supporting the 
goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 
Month.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 104

       Whereas on average, a person is sexually assaulted in the 
     United States every two-and-a-half minutes;
       Whereas the Department of Justice reports that 191,670 
     people in the United States were sexually assaulted in 2005;
       Whereas 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of 
     rape or attempted rape;
       Whereas the Department of Defense received 2,688 reports of 
     sexual assault involving members of the Armed Forces in 
     fiscal year 2007;
       Whereas children and young adults are most at risk of 
     sexual assault, as 44 percent of sexual assault victims are 
     under the age of 18, and 80 percent are under the age of 30;
       Whereas sexual assault affects women, men, and children of 
     all racial, social, religious, age, ethnic, and economic 
     groups in the United States;
       Whereas only 41 percent of sexual assault victims pursue 
     prosecution by reporting their attack to law enforcement 
     agencies;
       Whereas two-thirds of sexual crimes are committed by 
     persons who are not strangers to the victims;
       Whereas sexual assault survivors suffer emotional scars 
     long after the physical scars have healed;
       Whereas prevention education programs carried out by rape 
     crisis and women's health centers have the potential to 
     reduce the prevalence of sexual assault in their communities;
       Whereas because of recent advances in DNA technology, law 
     enforcement agencies have the potential to identify the 
     rapists in tens of thousands of unsolved rape cases;
       Whereas aggressive prosecution can incarcerate rapists and 
     therefore prevent them from committing further crimes;
       Whereas free, confidential help is available to all 
     survivors of sexual assault through the National Sexual 
     Assault Hotline, more than 1,000 rape crisis centers across 
     the United States, and other organizations that provide 
     services to assist survivors of sexual assault; and
       Whereas April is recognized as ``National Sexual Assault 
     Awareness and Prevention Month'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That--
       (1) it is the sense of Congress that--
       (A) National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 
     provides a special opportunity to educate the people of the 
     United States about sexual violence and to encourage the 
     prevention of sexual assault, the improved treatment of its 
     survivors, and the prosecution of its perpetrators;
       (B) it is appropriate to properly acknowledge the more than 
     20,000,000 men and women who have survived sexual assault in 
     the United States and salute the efforts of survivors, 
     volunteers, and professionals who combat sexual assault;
       (C) national and community organizations and private sector 
     supporters should be recognized and applauded for their work 
     in promoting awareness about sexual assault, providing 
     information and treatment to its survivors, and increasing 
     the number of successful prosecutions of its perpetrators; 
     and
       (D) public safety, law enforcement, and health 
     professionals should be recognized and applauded for their 
     hard work and innovative strategies to increase the 
     percentage of sexual assault cases that result in the 
     prosecution and incarceration of the offenders;
       (2) Congress strongly recommends national and community 
     organizations, businesses in the private sector, colleges and 
     universities, and the media to promote, through National 
     Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, awareness of 
     sexual violence and strategies to decrease the incidence of 
     sexual assault; and
       (3) Congress supports the goals and ideals of National 
     Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank the gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. 
Baldwin), as well as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), for 
introducing this important resolution, and I rise in support to 
acknowledge the impact that sexual assault has on its victims and to 
promote education about and prevention of sexual assault.
  This resolution highlights the immense problem of sexual assault in 
the United States. A person is sexually assaulted in the United States 
every 2\1/2\ minutes. Almost 18 million women, 1 in 6, have been 
victims of rape or attempted rape, and almost 3 million men, 1 in 33, 
have also been victims.
  Sexual assault also harms the society. Medical expenses, lost 
productivity, treatment of psychological trauma and pain and suffering 
cost victims roughly $127 billion per year.
  It can also lead to long-term health problems such as chronic pain 
and headaches and stomach problems and sexually transmitted diseases, 
and can leave victims with emotional issues which can lead to 
depression and even suicide.
  Designating April to be Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month 
is an important step in recognizing the problem. Highlighting and 
focusing on this issue gives us the opportunity to educate the public 
and allows us to praise the survivors, as well as the volunteers and 
professionals who have dedicated their lives to combating sexual 
assault.

[[Page 10916]]

  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume, Mr. 
Speaker.
  I'm pleased to join my Judiciary Committee colleague, the gentlelady 
from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) as an original sponsor on this resolution. 
I want to thank her for her efforts in presenting this to Congress. I 
would like to thank her for reintroducing House Concurrent Resolution 
104 to recognize April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and 
Prevention Month.
  Every 2\1/2\ minutes a person is sexually assaulted in the United 
States. Sadly, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men have been victims of rape 
or attempted rape. Two-thirds of these assaults are committed by 
someone that is actually known by the victim, and yet, only about 40 
percent of sexual assaults are ever reported to law enforcement 
authorities.
  Sexual Assault Awareness Month attempts to change these startling 
statistics by promoting education programs, victims support services, 
advances in DNA and forensics technology, and aggressive prosecution 
and incarceration of sexual assault offenders.
  National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month helps to 
educate the public about sexual assault in our communities and the 
long-term effects that it has on its victims.
  It also recognizes the work of staff and volunteers at rape crisis 
centers and other community organizations across the country that 
provide counseling and victims support services to sexual assault 
survivors.
  With education and community support, it is my hope that more victims 
will pursue prosecution of their attackers by reporting their assaults 
to law enforcement. Once victims take this first critical step, it's up 
to lawmakers and law enforcement to ensure that these violent offenders 
are put away.
  Last Congress, both the House and the Senate passed H.R. 5057, 
reauthorizing the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Program. The legislation was 
then signed into law on October 8, 2008.
  The Debbie Smith program, originally authorized in 2000, awards 
grants to State and local governments to reduce the DNA backlogs of 
samples collected from crime scenes and the backlog for entry into the 
national DNA database. Through these grants, State and local 
governments received funding to test approximately 104,000 DNA cases 
between 2004 and 2007.
  These grants have also funded the collection of 2.5 million DNA 
samples from convicted offenders and arrestees for inclusion in the 
national DNA database. The Department of Justice estimates that over 
5,000 ``hits'' or matches are the result of this DNA backlog reduction. 
This is a positive step forward, but we must continue our efforts to 
reduce the DNA backlog to provide justice for sexual assault victims 
and put their attackers behind bars.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests for 
time, and I will reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in this sterile environment of the 
Halls of Congress, sometimes we forget that sexual assault is a crime 
that is committed against people in this country, a crime that most of 
them never really get over.
  In my experience as a prosecutor and a judge for 22 years, I came in 
contact with numerous sexual assault victims, some of which never could 
quite handle and cope with the fact that they had been a victim of a 
crime, especially this crime, because, you see, when the offender 
commits a sexual assault against someone else, that offender is trying 
to steal the very soul of that victim. And sometimes victims cannot 
recover from that, emotionally or physically. That is why this 
legislation is important and that we, as Members of Congress, do our 
duty and be the advocates for those victims that have silent voices 
throughout this country.
  And that's just the way it is.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Poe), as well as the chief sponsor of the resolution, 
the gentlelady from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin), for their hard work on the 
issue of sexual assault.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 104, which supports the goals and ideals of National Sexual 
Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
  I was the lead Democratic sponsor of the original legislation to 
designate April as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention 
Month, which was introduced by former Representative Mark Green and 
signed into law in 2003. I am proud to have been a part of that initial 
effort, which has grown into a nationwide campaign to raise public 
awareness regarding sexual violence, prevent future crimes, and provide 
crucial services to victims of rape and sexual assault.
  Even as we shine a spotlight on this issue throughout the month of 
April, it is important to remember that preventing sexual assault must 
be top priority every month of the year. A 2000 study by the National 
Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
found that 18% of women in the United States have been raped in their 
lifetimes, yet we know that only about 6% of women who have been raped 
will ever see their attacker spend a day in jail.
  I have long been a champion of domestic and international women's 
issues, and preventing violence against women has been one of my top 
priorities since my very first day in Congress. That is why I wrote 
``The Debbie Smith Act,'' signed into law in 2004 to improve the 
investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases with DNA 
evidence. DNA evidence is crucial to getting rapists off the streets, 
and yet across the country, thousands of unprocessed DNA evidence kits 
are gathering dust. Each one of these represents a victim who has been 
denied justice, and a rapist who is free to commit more crimes. With 
this legislation, the huge backlog of rape kits is finally being 
processed.
  In 2008 I introduced H.R. 5057, ``The Debbie Smith Reauthorization 
Act,'' which was signed into law, and which extends the Debbie Smith 
DNA Backlog Grant Program through FY 2014. The bill also reauthorizes 
several critical programs which provide training and education for 
criminal justice and medical personnel in the use of DNA evidence. I am 
pleased to have been joined by Chairman Conyers and Ranking Member 
Smith of the Judiciary Committee in introducing that important 
legislation.
  It is vitally important that we continue these efforts to reduce the 
DNA backlog crisis in our nation's crime labs. Equally imperative are 
efforts to support the Violence Against Women Act by fully funding the 
organizations, shelters, and counseling centers which provide the 
crucial victim services which help women escape dangerous situations 
and begin new lives free from violence and fear.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. 
Res. 104 ``Supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault 
Awareness and Prevention Month.'' I want to thank my colleague 
Congresswoman, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin for introducing this 
legislation.
  This Resolution echoes the goals and ideals of the National Sexual 
Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, namely to increase public 
awareness of the occurrence and the effects of sexual assault and to 
improve our nation's overall ability to prevent new incidents.
  This important resolution will help to bring an end to the deplorable 
rapes, molestations, and sexual assault that occur across America. 
Violent crime and sex offenses are a fact of life which can be targeted 
for prevention through a combination of education, public awareness, as 
well as identifying and monitoring known offenders in the community.
  Mr. Speaker, there are no greater crimes that an individual can 
commit than the crimes of sexual molestation and sexual assault. The 
perpetrators of these crimes rob victims of their innocence. Moreover, 
victims of sexual assault are profoundly affected for the rest of their 
lives. As elected officials, we have an obligation to condemn this 
violence, work for stronger enforcement of the law and provide adequate 
funding for programs to assist individuals who may have experienced 
such abuse.
  I urge my colleagues to fight against these heinous crimes. Sexual 
assault can e verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join 
in unwanted sexual contact or attention. Examples of this are voyeurism 
(when someone

[[Page 10917]]

watches private sexual acts), exhibitionism (when someone exposes him/
herself in public), incest (sexual contact between family members), and 
sexual harassment. It can happen in different situations, by a stranger 
in an isolated place, on a date, or in the home by someone you know.
  The negative impacts of sexual assault go beyond the physical trauma 
of the attack itself. The victims suffer psychological trauma, 
emotional scarring, shame, the stigma of being victimized, and the 
destruction of their dignity.
  Unfortunately, sexual assault is an issue that has plagued the 
nation. In my home state of Texas, nearly 2 million adult Texans, or 
12.6% of the population, have been sexually assaulted, and more than 
half of all sexual assaults are committed against children under age 
18. An estimated 82% of rapes go unreported. The vast majority of rape 
victims--nearly 80%--know the person who rapes them.
  In Texas, 6 out of 10 adults and more than half of teenagers say 
sexual assault is a personal worry. A third of Texan adults say sexual 
assault is one of their biggest worries. While a majority of Texans 
says the state takes sexual assault seriously, 76% believe the state 
should take the issue more seriously.
  Many Americans have only a surface understanding of what constitutes 
sexual assault, and more than a quarter of Americans are very 
misinformed about its parameters. It will take more than just stronger 
prevention and enforcement of the law to prevent sexual molestation and 
other forms of sexual assault. In order to end this serious epidemic 
that has plagued America, all segments of the community such as 
parents, educators, religious leaders, and community leaders must 
create a nurturing environment us to live comfortably.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 104 
``Supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness 
and Prevention Month.''
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 104.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________