[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19222-19223]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I rise to speak in support of the 
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011, which I am pleased 
to cosponsor today. As attorney general of Rhode Island, I saw 
firsthand the good work the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, has done 
to protect victims of domestic violence, to provide crucial services to 
those in need, and to hold batterers accountable. The VAWA 
Reauthorization Act builds on that record of success and makes 
important updates to strengthen the law, while cognizant of the 
challenging budget circumstances we face. I congratulate Senators Leahy 
and Crapo for their hard work and leadership on this bill.
  I am particularly appreciative that Senators Leahy and Crapo have 
included the Saving Money and Reducing Tragedies through Prevention Act 
of 2011, or the SMART Prevention Act, which I previously introduced, 
within the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
  Far too many teens suffer abuse at the hands of a dating partner. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control, for example, 1 in 10 
teenagers reported being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a 
boyfriend or girlfriend at least once in the past year. The SMART 
Prevention Act will support innovative and effective programs to 
protect our children from this dangerous abuse.
  Earlier this year, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's 
Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, I held a field hearing in my home 
State on ``Preventing Teen Violence: Strategies for Protecting Teens 
from Dating Violence and Bullying.'' With hundreds of students from 
Tolman High School in Pawtucket, RI, in the audience, prominent 
advocates and experts testified about the importance of educational and 
community programs in preventing dating violence among teenagers.
  The witnesses explained that teen dating violence remains a serious 
problem, but that we can take important preventive measures. Ann Burke, 
a leading national advocate, explained that school-based teen dating 
violence prevention programs, especially those focused on middle 
schools, have proven effective in changing behaviors. The Lindsay Ann 
Burke Act, named in memory of Ann's daughter, a victim of dating 
violence, supports abuse education programs for teens in Rhode Island. 
Since its passage, physical teen dating violence rates in our State 
have decreased from 14 percent in 2007 to 10 percent in 2009.
  These preventive measures are most effective when part of a 
community-wide approach. As Kate Reilly, the executive director of the 
Start Strong Rhode Island Project, explained at the hearing, effective 
prevention programming should not be limited to schools alone, but 
should ``meet kids where they live and play.'' That requires involving 
parents, coaches, mentors, and teen and community leaders, as well as 
using new technology and social media in innovative ways.
  One group of children needs particular attention: children who have 
witnessed abuse in their home. Deborah DeBare, the executive director 
of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, explained at 
the hearing that ``growing up in a violent home may . . . lead to 
higher risks of repeating the cycle of abuse as teens and

[[Page 19223]]

young adults.'' By supporting robust services for children exposed to 
domestic violence in the home, we can help break the intergenerational 
cycle of violence.
  The SMART Prevention Act builds on each of these insights. It would 
create a new grant program within VAWA to support dating violence 
education programs targeting young people, with a particular focus on 
middle school students. The bill would also support programs to train 
those with influence on youth, including parents, teachers, coaches, 
older teens, and mentors. The new teen dating violence prevention 
program would be coordinated with existing grant programs focused on 
prevention, including a program directed at children who have witnessed 
violence and abuse. By requiring coordination with these programs, and 
focusing resources on prevention, the SMART Prevention Act is also 
smart policy fiscally. Abuse that is prevented reduces the strain on 
our already overburdened health and education systems.
  New laws in several States, as well as innovative and hard-working 
organizations such as the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund and the Katie 
Brown Educational Program in New England, have demonstrated how 
effective such prevention programs can be, so now is the time for 
Congress to act.
  I again thank Senators Leahy and Crapo for their leadership in 
reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. I look forward to working 
with them and other Senators from both sides of the aisle toward a 
country that is free from dating and domestic violence.

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