[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16527-16533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ending domestic violence is not a 
quixotic quest; it is a noble calling. This is why we have filed H. 
Res. 392, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of October as 
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, expressing the sense of the 
House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise 
awareness of domestic violence and its devastating effects on 
individuals, families, and communities, and support programs designed 
to end domestic violence in the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to tell you that we will have a number of 
speakers.
  At this time, I yield to the Congresswoman from the Fourth District 
of Maryland, the Honorable Donna Edwards. She serves on Science, Space, 
and Technology; Transportation and Infrastructure; she cochairs the 
Women's Caucus; and she is the chair of the Democratic Women's Working 
Group. She also cofounded the National Network to End Domestic Violence 
in 1994. She was its executive director.
  Ms. EDWARDS. I thank the gentleman. I know that you join with your 
colleague, Mr. Poe of Texas, in hosting this hour so that we can have 
an opportunity to remember why it is that we identify and commemorate 
Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and to make a commitment from this 
day forward, and from this coming year to the next time we have this 
observance, to do what we can to end domestic violence. I think, after 
all, that is the goal.
  I can't remember, Mr. Green, when I first became interested in 
domestic violence, or even aware of domestic violence, but I look back 
to the times when I was growing up. I grew up in a military family. We 
lived in very close quarters. We shared a wall in that military family 
housing with our neighbor. In our neighbor's house, there was clearly 
something going on. My sister and I shared a bedroom, and we could hear 
what was going on, and it was violent. It was clearly violent.
  I don't know that I understood that at the time, Mr. Speaker, but I 
have come to understand it as an adult. It frames my commitment, 
lifelong commitment, to ending domestic violence.
  I remember at that time the military police being called. They would 
come and they would drive the gentleman around the block, and then he 
would be delivered right back home. Then a few nights later, the exact 
same thing would happen again.
  I remember my sister and I seeing the woman who lived next door, and 
we were friends with their children, and I remember seeing her. I was 
always intrigued by her dark glasses and her great makeup and the 
scarves that she wore around her neck. It wasn't until later that I 
understood that she was covering her black eye, she was covering the 
bruises on her neck, she was covering the bruises on her face from 
having been a victim of domestic violence. It was many, many years, in 
fact, as an adult where I came to really process and understand what 
was going on.
  I think because domestic violence affects so many around the country, 
and most particularly it affects women, that there is almost a chance 
that in any given family or at a family reunion or family gathering, if 
you probe just enough, you will find someone who has experienced 
domestic violence.
  Very sadly, you will also find many young children who have witnessed 
domestic violence. I think that we have only to look at the children 
who are growing up in homes where mostly their mothers are being 
abused, and then we wonder why it is that when we look at the 
population of young people who are incarcerated, and when you ask them 
one by one--and I have done this, I have visited incarcerated youth--
almost to a one they will tell you that either they have been the 
victims of violence or they grew up in a violent home.
  I think, Mr. Speaker, it must resonate with us that we have to ask 
ourselves why it is that we continue to have violence, and what it is 
that we can do to get to the root cause of that violence.
  So in addition, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, to identify 
the fact that we lose about $8 billion a year in productivity that is 
lost because of domestic violence--lost time off of work, medical 
expenses, and the rest--we know that it is a social ill that is very 
pervasive.
  We also know that there are other kinds of crimes that are associated 
with domestic violence--stalking is one of those, sexual assault within 
a relationship.
  Mr. Speaker, we also are aware that our young women, ages 16 to 24, 
are more likely than not to experience some form of violence in those 
relationships.
  So earlier this year--and it took us some time to get there, Mr. 
Speaker--we did finally reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The 
Violence Against Women Act, which was first authorized in 1994--I was a 
part of that, helped to lead that effort on the outside, where our 
leaders in Congress were leading on the inside, leaders like our now 
Vice-President Joe Biden, who was in the Senate and who took this bull 
by the horns and led us to the passage of the first Violence Against 
Women Act that was signed into law by President Clinton.
  It was the first time ever that the Federal Government came forward 
and said, we have a real commitment to ending domestic violence by 
providing resources for shelters and services, training law 
enforcement, making sure that our judges were equipped to handle these 
cases in court, providing advocacy services for those who are 
experiencing violence, and going through the system.
  Over each successive couple of years, we have reauthorized the 
Violence Against Women Act. We did that just recently. As I have said, 
in these tough economic times, it has been very difficult. All of a 
sudden, domestic violence became partisan and political.
  I am glad to say, Mr. Speaker, that we did finally reauthorize the 
Violence Against Women Act again. We are providing those resources to 
those who experience violence.
  But it should also come as no surprise that as we engage in the 
fiscal debates that we have here in the Congress, that because of 
sequester and shutting down the government even, that many of those 
shelters and services and programs are, in fact, experiencing a really 
difficult time at the same time that they are experiencing more demand.
  I don't say that, Mr. Speaker, to call out one side or the other, but 
I am glad we are back at a point where in this Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month, we take the politics out of domestic violence, and we 
say to women, whether you are Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, 
or you don't think about politics at all, that we care about ending 
domestic violence, we care about the fact, Mr. Speaker, that more women 
are placed in a much more dangerous circumstance when there is a weapon 
in the home and that weapon is used to either kill or harm or threaten 
the lives of those who are in the home. That is something that we can 
do something about.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just say, this last year, we lost a really 
powerful advocate for those who experience domestic violence. When 
Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey died earlier this year, we 
remembered him in a lot of ways as a leader, Mr. Speaker, but on this 
Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I would like the Nation to remember 
Senator Lautenberg because he was the one who spearheaded the domestic 
violence firearm prevention

[[Page 16528]]

that said that if you are committing domestic violence and you have a 
domestic violence offense, that you cannot purchase or possess a 
weapon. The Federal Government and the Congress recognized the 
importance of removing a weapon from a home where there is domestic 
violence. Senator Lautenberg was the champion.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to close--I know that we have other 
speakers--and just say that this Member of Congress, and I know that 
our colleagues here today, remain committed to ending domestic 
violence, to making sure that women can achieve their fullest potential 
by living in a home that is free of violence.

                              {time}  1545

  And, in fact, as we look around the world, whether it is in 
Afghanistan or Iraq or it is in South or Central America or in Africa, 
in many nations women experience violence in relationships in their 
homes. But, Mr. Speaker, if we can end that violence in the home, then 
we would do a lot to make certain that children are growing up healthy 
and able to have healthy relationships and that women are able to 
achieve their fullest potential.
  So I join you today in calling attention to Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month and to redoubling our commitment to end domestic 
violence. I say a special thank you and salute to an organization that 
I started--now I don't know--15 to 20 years ago, the National Network 
to End Domestic Violence, and all of the networks of advocates around 
the country who are committed to the same things that we are. And if 
only we can provide the resources that they need to do their work, I am 
convinced that we can end this scourge.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank you very much for your testimony. 
Actually, it is something that I believe will benefit a good many 
persons who are viewing this today.
  I would like to share just a few stories, if I may. Mr. Speaker, I 
practiced law in Houston, Texas, and my practice was one that involved 
a good deal of civil work. In the early 1970s, I can recall females 
coming to my office to receive assistance from a lawyer to file charges 
based upon abuse that had been imposed upon them.
  In some of the cases, the damage done to the person was physical and 
immediately seen; but as you talked to the person, you could see that 
this person had been suffering for years. Literally years of suffering 
would emerge from this person in a 30-minute, 1 hour, 1\1/2\ hour 
visit. And they would plead with me, Please help me get the charges 
filed. The plea was there because at that time it was considered a 
family issue. When women would go in to file charges, the police would 
say, Well, we will look at it. We will see if we can get somebody out 
there. But they didn't always respond to the evident need. The need was 
evident because of what the eye could see.
  Many of the women who would come in would bring a minister or some 
other person to corroborate the story. There was this belief that your 
physical appearance alone was not enough evidence to support the filing 
of charges.
  Unfortunately, society had so developed at that time that we would 
take this victim to intake and we would help with the filing of the 
charges and we would help get charges filed. The unfortunate 
circumstance was that the culture at that time was such that other 
family members would visit with the victim and encourage the victim to 
drop the charges; family members seeing and knowing about the abuse not 
only on this occasion for which charges were being filed, but also the 
abuse that had occurred through the years. And family members would 
quite often prevail; and, as a result, charges would sometimes be 
dropped.
  I regret that we went through this time in our history where women 
were not treated with the dignity and respect that they should be 
accorded. A lot of that has gone away, and I will say more about a lot 
of this in just a moment, but there is still enough of it for us to 
band together and for us to answer the clarion call for help that these 
women present to us on a daily basis.
  I am honored to tell you that we have with us now another Member of 
Congress from the 40th District of California. She serves on the 
Appropriations Committee, and I am honored to yield to the Honorable 
Lucille Roybal-Allard.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by commending 
Congressman Green for his leadership in helping to highlight the 
tragedy of domestic violence in our country and for arranging today's 
Special Order.
  While it is true that we have made some progress toward addressing 
violence against women, the fact remains that nearly one-third of women 
in the United States still report being physically or sexually abused 
by a partner in their lifetime. Domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault, and stalking lead to severe social health and economic 
consequences for women and our communities, with the estimated cost of 
violence exceeding $70 billion each year.
  Our Nation's economic crisis has hammered home the sad truth that 
financial concerns often keep victims in abusive relationships. Studies 
indicate that economic independence is a key predictor of whether a 
victim will be able to break the cycle of violence and leave her 
abuser.
  Far too often, it is difficult for victims to maintain employment in 
the aftermath of domestic violence, especially if they require time off 
for medical appointments, court appearances, and for their own safety. 
As a result, women who experience domestic violence are more likely 
than other women to be unemployed, to suffer from health problems that 
impact employability and job performance, to report lower personal 
income, and to rely on welfare. These poor economic outcomes often 
perpetuate the abuse.
  For the last 16 years, I have introduced legislation that would help 
ensure victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking have 
the financial independence they need to break free from their abusers.
  The Security and Financial Empowerment Act, or SAFE Act, would allow 
survivors to take unpaid time off from work to make necessary court 
appearances, seek legal assistance, and get help with safety planning 
without the fear of losing their job. The SAFE Act would prohibit 
employers or insurance providers from basing hiring or insurance 
coverage decisions on an individual's history of abuse, and ensure 
eligibility for unemployment benefits should a survivor be forced to 
leave her job due to circumstances stemming from domestic violence.
  The SAFE Act empowers victims of domestic violence with greater 
employment protections and increased economic stability to break the 
all-too-common cycle of dependence and abuse.
  As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, let us not 
forget the victims of domestic violence. I ask my colleagues to join me 
in ensuring financial freedom for those suffering from domestic abuse 
by cosponsoring the SAFE Act, and I encourage my colleagues to support 
Congressman Green's H. Res. 392 to make sure that we continue to 
highlight this tragedy of domestic violence in our country so that one 
day there will be no domestic violence; it will be unnecessary for us 
to be here in the Halls of Congress talking about this tragedy.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank the gentlelady. I want to thank the 
gentlelady for the work she has done here in Congress over the years to 
eliminate domestic violence.
  This has been a bipartisan effort, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to tell 
you that S. 47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, this 
bill passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. In 
the House the vote was 286-138. It passed the Senate with bipartisan 
support. It was 78-22. The bill had this bipartisan support because it 
embraced women not only who are known to us as people from our 
communities, but also there were some communities that were embraced 
that have not been traditionally a part of the bill.
  It helped American Indian women because at one time tribal courts 
could

[[Page 16529]]

not take on persons who had sexually assaulted women because they were 
non-Indians. Well, the bill addressed this. It also addressed the LGBT 
community which had not been included. It doesn't matter what your 
sexual preference is, domestic violence can be imposed upon you. And 
when you are hurt, you need help. This bill provided the help needed 
for women regardless of race, creed, color, origin. Regardless of your 
sexual preference, you can get help pursuant to S. 47, which received 
bipartisan support.
  I wanted to tell you that annually my friend from the State of Texas, 
the Honorable Ted Poe, works with me and I with him. We alternate years 
of taking the lead on this issue. He has had a career that has 
paralleled mine. When he was a prosecutor, I was a defense attorney. He 
became a district court judge in Texas right around the time I became 
the judge of a justice court. Here in Congress, we have sought to work 
together on many bills and many pieces of legislation, but I am 
proudest of what we do on domestic violence.
  Domestic Violence Awareness Month is one where he and I have 
collaborated to work together to make sure that we get this issue 
exposed to the public so we can continue the process of elimination. I 
am proud to tell you that he represents the Second Congressional 
District of Texas, serves on Foreign Affairs as well as the Judiciary 
Committee, and I am proud to tell you that I consider him a friend, not 
in the sense that we politely say it here in Congress when we say ``my 
friend.'' I consider him a friend in the sense that he and I have 
developed a real kinship and relationship. Although we don't always 
agree, we always try to work together for the good of our State, city, 
and for the good of women who are being impacted by domestic violence.
  I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).
  Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
appreciate those comments.
  It is true, Congressman Green, you and I, our careers have mirrored. 
We spent time at the courthouse together, you as a defense lawyer, me 
as a prosecutor. We became judges at about the same time. We got 
elected to Congress at the same time. We have known each other now 
almost 40 years, and I want to thank you for all that time you have 
been serving the community of Texas. And our districts match each other 
in the Houston area. We share the same common boundary.
  I also think it is appropriate that we are wearing purple ties. If I 
remember correctly, if you take red and you take blue and you mix them 
together, you get purple. How appropriate because this is a bipartisan 
endeavor where we are trying to show the horrors of domestic violence 
nationwide. It is not a Democrat issue; it is not a Republican. It is 
an American issue. And I guess it is a purple issue, if we can use that 
phrase.
  As you have mentioned, spending time at the courthouse, I saw a lot 
of these types of cases, and we have come a long way. And, yes, it is 
true, I remember the days when domestic violence, when some spouse 
would beat up another spouse, no matter how bad the injuries, unless it 
was death, many times the police would say, This is a family problem. 
It is not a criminal problem; it is not a public problem. It is a 
family problem. They have to deal with it.
  Because of that, many women, primarily, were rejected from 
prosecuting their spouse when they beat them up. As Congressman Green 
mentioned, the days of spouse filing charges and then being pressured 
by sometimes the batterer or family members to drop the charges, and 
then charges would be dropped. I found that frustrating as a 
prosecutor, and you found it frustrating when you were trying to help 
those women get those cases filed.
  We finally did something in Texas that made a whole lot of sense. We 
took the spouse, the victim, out of the prosecution process. So it was 
the State of Texas versus the guy, and the spouse really had no control 
over the prosecution. The spouse certainly couldn't drop the charges. 
It took it off of her burden, and made those people who wanted the case 
dropped to deal with the State rather than the victim. That was a good 
thing because then those people started getting prosecuted.

                              {time}  1600

  Jim Costa, a Democrat from California, he and I started the Victims' 
Rights Caucus when I came to Congress. It is a bipartisan caucus, a 
purple caucus, of both sides that advocate on the part of victims with 
about 85, 90 members.
  One of the things that we are very concerned about, of course, is 
spouses that are victims of crime. I say that because when somebody 
beats up someone in the family, it is not the fault of the victim; it 
is the fault of the person that does the assaulting. The victim is not 
to blame. We have to get it through to our culture--and I think we are 
gradually doing that--to understand it is not the victim's fault. It is 
the person who commits the crime, commits the assault.
  The most influential person in my life was my grandmother. God bless 
her. She lived to 99 years of age. She told me a lot of things and was 
very wise.
  You would be glad to know, Congressman Green, she was an old-
fashioned Texas Yellow Dog Democrat. She never forgave me for being a 
Republican. Anyway, we got past that.
  She said that you never hurt somebody you claim you love. That was a 
true statement when she told me, and it is still a true statement. You 
never hurt somebody you claim you love, especially in the family 
situation. That is something that we need to live by and hold people 
accountable when they violate that important rule of life.
  You mentioned the Violence Against Women Act. That is a good piece of 
legislation. I supported that for the reasons you mentioned, but also 
it does something else. It helps the immigrant community. Too often we 
find in Houston, where we have a lot of immigrants from all over the 
world, that someone that is in the United States, if they are assaulted 
by someone else that is in the United States, both undocumented, the 
batterer tells the victim, If you call the police, I am going to send 
you back to where you came from. He can't do that, but she thinks he 
can do that, so she doesn't call the police, and this guy gets away 
with hurting her. Plus, she continues to be victimized.
  We changed that law because of VAWA. They can come forward. They can 
get a special visa. They can testify. This person can get prosecuted as 
they should. It is a good piece of legislation, and we certainly should 
be enforcing the rules under the VAWA law.
  People that I have come in contact with over the years have impacted 
me. Of course, many of those have been victims of crime, many of those 
victims of domestic violence. One that I met after I came here to 
Congress was a wonderful lady that lives real close to us. She lives 
over in Maryland, Yvette Cade. She has made her story public, so I will 
use her name.
  Yvette Cade was estranged from her husband. Her husband was under a 
protective order to leave her alone. She didn't have a lawyer. She 
didn't have someone like you, Mr. Green, representing her. She had to 
represent herself. When the protective order came to be renewed, she 
represented herself in the courtroom, and the judge denied the 
protective order. It was withdrawn.
  Soon after the judge made that horrible decision, the estranged 
husband found her over at the video store where she worked supporting 
herself. He walked in carrying a jar of gasoline, and he poured it over 
Yvette Cade, and he set her on fire, that wonderful, precious lady. It 
is all on videotape from the store.
  I don't know how she did it, but she survived. A passerby saw what 
happened. He helped her. He put the fire out. She has had numerous 
surgeries, and she is alive. Today, she advocates on behalf of victims 
who are abused in the family. She is quite a remarkable person, and she 
is a victim of crime.
  Our culture needs to treat these people in a special way, whether it 
is to prosecute the criminal or to take care of them when their 
physical and mental needs need to be met. We are doing

[[Page 16530]]

a better job of that. This month, we recognize those wonderful people 
who have been abused.
  We still have the problem of convincing them that the crime is not 
their fault. They are embarrassed so often. As I told victims of crime 
as a prosecutor and even as a judge: You don't need to be embarrassed 
for what happened to you. The person who did it needs to be 
embarrassed.
  It was part of our responsibility, I think, in the criminal justice 
system to make sure that happened. I won't go into all those types of 
cases that you are familiar with in unique sentencing, Mr. Green, but 
we made sure that the criminal knew that he was to blame and the victim 
was not to blame for that conduct.
  After hearing 25,000 felony cases at the courthouse--and, Congressman 
Green, I am not going to relate all 25,000 of them, but I would like to 
mention another one. When we think of domestic violence, we need to 
remember not only the spouse, but we need to think about the children 
that are involved, too, because many times they are the victims of 
domestic violence.
  There was a young girl who was a second-grader, and, like a lot of 
kids today, she rode the bus back and forth to elementary school. I 
will call her ``June.'' One afternoon, she is riding the schoolbus 
home, and she wouldn't get off the bus. She just sat there, and she was 
literally gripping that bar that is on the seat in front of you. 
Finally, the schoolbus driver came back and tried to talk to her and 
asked her, Why won't you get off the bus? This is your home. This is 
where you live.
  June replied, I don't want to get off, because I am only safe when I 
am on the bus going to school, at school, and when I am on the bus 
going home. Bad things happen when I get off the bus.
  You see, she went back into a situation where she was constantly 
battered by the ``live-in boyfriend'' is what I am going to call him. 
Because of the bus driver and doing what she did, they called the 
police and an investigation took place. That person was prosecuted; 
but, more importantly, June is safe and her mother is safe.
  We need to understand that victims of domestic violence live, many 
times, quiet lives of desperation and fear. It is our responsibility as 
Congress to eliminate that the best we can, to provide services for 
victims, to let them understand that crime is not their fault, that it 
is the fault of the perpetrator. On the other end, we need to make sure 
those perpetrators get the justice that they deserve at the courthouse 
and they are held accountable for those actions that they commit 
against someone in their family.
  Mr. Speaker, Grandma was right. You never hurt somebody you claim you 
love.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank my colleague very much, and I thank 
you for your many words expressing what you actually witnessed. Yours 
was a testimony, not just a recitation, from something that was 
accorded you by some other person. You were there to see what happened, 
and you and I know that there is still great work to be done.
  In our State of Texas, in 2012, domestic violence caused 11,994 
adults to need shelter, Mr. Speaker. It caused 14,534 children to need 
shelter, Mr. Speaker. It caused 36,831 adults to need nonresidential 
services, counseling, legal assistance. It caused 15,694 children to 
need nonresidential services. Unfortunately, 26.2 percent of the adults 
were denied shelter because of a lack of space.
  Mr. Speaker, there is still great work to be done, and I am honored 
to ask, at this time, another colleague to speak. However, would you 
kindly advise me as to the amount of time I have left.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yoho). The gentleman from Texas has 25 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask so that Members may be 
aware. We have a few Members left to speak, and we want to make sure 
that every Member has some time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to ask the Honorable Barbara Lee to move to 
the podium and consume an appropriate amount of time. She is my very 
dear friend from the great State of California, the 13th Congressional 
District, who sits on Appropriations and who has been a longtime 
champion of protecting women and protecting people and is truly a 
champion for the least, the last, and the lost.
  I might also add, Mr. Speaker, that she was the chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, and I was proud to serve under her 
leadership.
  Ms. LEE of California. First, let me thank Congressman Al Green for 
that very humbling introduction, for your tremendous leadership, and 
for bringing us all together with, of course, Congressman Poe, and for 
really pulling together this Special Order in recognition of October as 
Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is so critical that we continue 
to raise the level of awareness in a bipartisan manner until we rid our 
country and the world of abuse and domestic violence.
  As someone who unfortunately understands domestic violence on a very 
personal level, a deeply personal level, I know how traumatic the 
experience is, and, yes, I know what the support system and how 
important the support system is needed to emerge as a survivor. I also 
know that domestic violence is not only physical, but it is also 
emotional. It is brutal. It is dehumanizing to the battered and the 
batterer, and without strong and enforceable criminal laws and 
services, one's life can be shattered and destroyed. I know this from 
personal experience.
  Also, as a psychiatric social worker by profession, battered women's 
syndrome will totally destroy a woman's life if we don't address the 
counseling and mental health services that will really help women rid 
themselves of the syndrome which comes as a result of a lifetime of 
abuse.
  As a member of the California Legislature, I was very proud to write 
California's Violence Against Women Act and many domestic violence 
bills that were actually signed into law, Congressman Green, by a 
Republican Governor, Governor Pete Wilson, and I continue to make this 
a priority in my congressional work.
  In my district, there are several agencies, such as A Safe Place, 
which is a victim-centered agency. Agencies such as this, they do 
wonderful work on a minimum budget on issues and services and housing 
related to and for victims of abuse; and we need to enhance and raise 
the level of funding because they do wonderful work, as I said, with 
minimal resources.
  We know that staying in a shelter or working with an advocate 
significantly improves the victim's quality of life. It is my hope that 
we use Domestic Violence Awareness Month to recommit ourselves to 
fighting the scourge of domestic violence against men and women.
  We have made accomplishments over the decades on this issue, 
including the passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Services 
Act and the Violence Against Women Act, which we fought hard to get 
reauthorized earlier this year under the bold and tremendous leadership 
of Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
  These pieces of legislation have led to an increase of nearly 51 
percent in domestic violence reporting by women and a 37 percent 
increase in reporting for men. This is truly a significant impact. Yet, 
sadly, challenges remain.
  Around the world, nearly one in three women have been beaten, coerced 
into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Here in the United 
States, as many as one in four American women report being physically 
or sexually abused by a husband or a boyfriend at least once in their 
lives.
  In my home State of California, the statistics are even more 
staggering. According to the Women's Health Survey, approximately 40 
percent of California women experience physical, intimate partner 
violence in their lifetime. Of these women, three out of four of them 
had children under the age of 18 at home.
  Children who see or experience domestic violence have a much greater 
chance to either become victims or perpetrators as adults. They are 
also more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away 
from home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit other crimes.

[[Page 16531]]

  Beyond the cost to children, domestic violence affects the economy 
with as many as half of domestic violence victims reporting the loss of 
a job due at least in part to domestic violence. In fact, domestic 
violence costs employers in the United States as much as $13 billion 
each year, and it costs our health care system upwards of $5.8 billion, 
including $4 billion in direct health care expenses.
  When we talk about the state of employment and the cost of health 
care, especially for women, the economic impacts of domestic violence 
and what we must do to eradicate it must be part of that conversation.

                              {time}  1615

  We must prioritize investments in programs that domestic violence 
survivors rely on when escaping their abuser, including domestic 
violence programs and other programs of the safety net.
  When we fail to make the proper investments, women bear the 
consequences. Thousands of requests for domestic violence services go 
unmet. Thousands of calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline go 
unanswered. In times of economic downturn, the rates of domestic 
violence tend to increase. That is why this reauthorization of the 
Violence Against Women Act was so very important.
  Not only were we able to increase outreach to victims on college 
campuses and expand protections for victims living on tribal lands, but 
for the first time, first time, we extended access to protections for 
immigrant and LGBT victims.
  So as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am going to 
continue to fight for robust funding at all levels, so that we can 
continue to provide victims with the services they need. With strong 
investments, we can address this crisis and end domestic violence, once 
and for all.
  Although we have made great progress, we cannot claim victory. 
October is a critical time to raise awareness of what continues to be a 
pervasive issue in our country.
  But we must remember that for women, children and men who are 
experiencing or who have experienced domestic violence, every day must 
be a day of awareness. So we must support all of the legislation and 
funding efforts that will indicate that finally, mind you, finally, we 
will not need Domestic Violence Awareness Month ever again because we 
have put an end to domestic violence.
  Thank you again, Mr. Green.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank you--and I also thank you for raising 
the issue of domestic violence against men. We talk quite often about 
it being against women, and there is good reason. The overwhelming 
empirical evidence connotes that women are the largest group of victims 
of domestic violence, so I thank you for broadening the issue for us. 
Thank you very much.
  At this time, Mr. Speaker, I am honored to tell you that we have a 
Congressman from the State of Florida--I was reared in Florida, went to 
Florida A&M University.
  He serves the 18th District of Florida, serves on Financial Services, 
and he is committed to working across the aisle. He makes a concerted 
effort to achieve bipartisanship. He is a champion for fair play.
  I also want you to know that he understands that, as we do this, as 
we try to end this scourge on society known as domestic violence, that 
it is more than simply an issue of violence; it also has economic 
components to it. He has tried to cause us to understand some of these 
components, but also, that it is a moral issue.
  I would now ask my friend, who accorded me this tie that is purple--
the color purple in the tie, as I understand it, represents courage, 
survival, honor and dedication, dedication to ending domestic violence. 
Of course, purple is being worn today to spread awareness of domestic 
violence.
  I now yield as much time as he may consume to my friend, the 
Honorable Patrick Murphy.
  Mr. MURPHY of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Green, for organizing this 
special hour.
  I also want to thank Mr. Poe, Ms. Edwards and Mrs. Ellmers for their 
leadership on this important issue.
  I rise today to speak out against domestic violence and to demand 
that Congress act in a bipartisan manner to fight back against this 
plague on our country. The domestic violence statistic rates in our 
country are staggering. One out of every three women will be the victim 
of domestic violence in their lifetime. Four are murdered by their 
intimate partner every day in the United States.
  Further, a woman is battered in the United States every 15 seconds. 
You do the math; that is 240 incidents every hour.
  We, as a society, have a responsibility to work to protect the most 
vulnerable among us, and must do everything we can to address these 
unacceptable rates of domestic violence. That is why one of the first 
pieces of legislation I cosponsored as a Member of Congress was the 
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
  Protecting people from violence by their partners should not be a 
partisan issue, and it was appalling in the last Congress that such 
vital legislation got caught up in this partisan gridlock.
  With that in mind, I am thrilled to see Members from both sides of 
the aisle speaking today on this important issue. You will notice both 
Democrats and Republicans wearing purple pins or purple ties to 
highlight October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
  Domestic violence is not a partisan issue, and not just a woman's 
issue. It is a family issue, it is a community issue, it is an economic 
issue and a moral issue. That is why I specifically recruited male 
colleagues to participate in this Special Order hour, and you will see 
many of them here today wearing purple ties.
  We, as men, can help draw awareness not only to how important it is 
to work toward ending domestic violence, but also to the fact that 
domestic violence is an issue that we have a responsibility to engage 
and not to dismiss as only a women's issue.
  As role models and other males, we have a crucial part in this fight, 
and stopping domestic violence will only occur when the main 
perpetrators of these crimes, which are men, learn to stop hurting 
their partners. We, as men, not only can, but we must make addressing 
this issue a priority.
  On International Women's Day, I hosted a roundtable discussion at a 
shelter in my district called SafeSpace, where I heard from both 
survivors and advocates about the challenges they face to keep women 
and children safe, and the importance of Federal funding to keep these 
programs operating. This roundtable highlighted the urgency of working 
together to address this pressing issue.
  I am honored to have Jill Borowicz, the CEO of the shelter that 
hosted this important roundtable, here in attendance with us today and 
want to take this opportunity to thank her for her work on behalf of 
all the survivors of domestic abuse.
  Unfortunately, what we are doing here today almost was not able to 
take place, due to the government shutdown. Jill knows all too well 
what the shutdown did back home and what the effects of it were on our 
district and across the country.
  One of the less-talked about effects of the shutdown was its impact 
on shelters and services like SafeSpace that were forced to close their 
doors and suspend services for more than a week because VAWA funds were 
unaccessible.
  Let me repeat: the government shutdown directly prevented women and 
children who were facing the threat of domestic violence from receiving 
services and shelter. This is unconscionable.
  While the crisis may have been manufactured, the shutdown was very 
real, and the consequences were also real. It has shown that 
partisanship and dysfunction in Congress are a serious threat to the 
prevention of domestic violence. I hope we can all agree that this 
should no longer be tolerated.
  I look forward to working together with my colleagues, both male and 
female, and Members from both parties to continue to fund important 
programs that help provide assistance and

[[Page 16532]]

shelter to the victims of domestic violence, resources to law 
enforcement to help them adequately address these issues on the ground, 
and investments in programs that can help stop and break the vicious 
cycle of domestic violence in our communities.
  Again, I want to thank Mr. Green for his leadership on this issue. It 
is important we bring this to the forefront. No matter where you are 
from or what party you are from, this is something that needs to be 
discussed.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank my fellow Floridian. I, of course, am 
from Texas now, but my roots are in Florida, and I thank you so much.
  Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have left?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 12 minutes remaining.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am honored at this time to 
recognize another Texan, a Texan from the 23rd District, who served 22 
years, Mr. Speaker, in the State house, a Texan who serves on the 
Agriculture Committee, a Texan who is a strong supporter of domestic 
awareness, who voted for the reauthorization of the VAWA, and I might 
say, a Texan who started his career in Congress extending his hand 
across the aisle. He is one who not only preaches bipartisanship, he 
practices it.
  I am honored to yield as much time as he may consume to my friend, 
the Honorable Pete Gallego.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Thank you so much. I appreciate very much, Congressman 
Green, your leadership on this issue. It is incredibly important.
  As I listened to Congressman Murphy and others talk on this issue, 
and you realize that one out of every three women will feel the impact 
of domestic violence in her lifetime, you have to realize that, even 
among the people in this room, we know people who have been impacted by 
domestic violence.
  All of us have a mom. Many of us have sisters. Domestic violence can 
impact anyone. Even though it is not openly spoken about many times, 
even though it is not openly addressed in our society, and even though 
many feel that it is something that could never happen to them, the 
truth is, it could happen to anybody, and it could happen to people 
other than women. Fourteen percent of the victims of domestic violence 
are men.
  In 2012, in Texas alone, 114 people were killed. In the district that 
I represent, from El Paso to San Antonio, there were eight cases of 
domestic violence.
  Everyone here, many of you have met my son, who has become the center 
of my universe. I will tell you that children are incredibly important. 
They are certainly important to me and to the Members of this Chamber, 
the Members of this body.
  The truth is that kids are also impacted by violence because, many 
times, the child is also assaulted. In fact, according to a Task Force 
report, in several instances, the young children at the scene of the 
crime were also attacked, and, in fact, they were stabbed or strangled 
or shot or kidnapped, or some violence was committed on the children.
  These numbers are heartbreaking. There are far too many people 
impacted. The sad part is that most of the time there are many signs of 
trouble. You can see it. There is a time in the life of every problem 
where it is big enough to see but still small enough to solve.
  Researchers and service providers have already identified some common 
characteristics that help predict the risk factor as a precursor to 
intimate partner murders. Stalking, for example.
  Stalking ranks as a top indicator of risk. Nationally, 76 percent of 
those cases involve at least one episode of stalking within a year 
prior to the murder. One in six women report having experienced 
stalking which made them feel very fearful or believe that they or 
someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
  Intimate partner violence manifests itself from dehumanizing 
attitudes and beliefs, and it results in cruelty, brutality, 
degradation of the victims' physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
  Ninety-nine percent of all woman who have died as a result of 
domestic violence never stayed in a shelter. Ninety-five percent had no 
contact with a certified domestic violence center within 5 years of 
their death.
  There is help out there. We just need to get people to the help, and 
the only way that we can do that is if more people are aware of the 
resources that are available to victims of domestic violence.
  As I said, all of us, statistically, we are going to know someone who 
has been impacted by domestic violence, and it is very important that 
we all work together to make sure that they all have the help that they 
need.
  On any given day in the U.S., over 60,000 women and kids--60,000, 
think about that--60,000 women and kids are residing in domestic 
violence shelters. The shelters provide a critical, critical, critical 
service. It is up to us, our States, our communities and our fellow 
citizens to make a difference, to make sure that we step up to the 
plate and keep these resources available, keep the help where we need 
the help, so that we can stop those hearts from breaking, we can mend 
those lives, and we can help those kids.
  I had the great privilege, as Mr. Green alluded to, of serving in the 
Texas Legislature for a long time, including service as chairman of the 
committee of jurisdiction, the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, and 
I carried a lot of legislation for victims of domestic violence.
  I am very proud of those activities. I am very proud of that 
opportunity to be of service, and I hope that all 435 Members of this 
body and the 100 Members on the other side of this building will, all 
together, in a very bipartisan fashion, stand up and say, Let's put an 
end to domestic violence.
  Thank you so much for your time.

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank my colleague from the State of Texas.
  I would also mention to my colleague that, unfortunately, one study 
concluded that 10,401 domestic violence victims reached out for help 
but were turned away because of a lack of resources. There is still 
great work to be done, and I thank you for continuing to do this great 
work. God bless you.
  At this time, Mr. Speaker, we have another Texan, from the 18th 
Congressional District in Houston, Texas, who serves on Homeland 
Security as well as Judiciary. We are going to ask that our friend, the 
Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, move to the podium.
  And how much time remains, Mr. Speaker?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 6 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I ask that Members govern themselves 
accordingly, with 6 minutes left.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me thank the gentleman from Texas for his 
service and for his commitment to an issue that is so vital and 
important to the Nation, and that is, the protection of all Americans 
from domestic violence. There is a long history of the journey of this 
Congress to responding to the cry of women and men, both in the 
civilian life and in the United States military.
  I rise today to acknowledge and commemorate Domestic Violence 
Prevention Month. I remember the journey that we took in getting to the 
Violence Against Women Act with our former colleague, the late chair of 
the Judiciary Committee, Chairman Hyde. I remember in the early stages 
of the 1990s the attempt to reauthorize this legislation.
  The good news was that Chairman Hyde, a Republican, Ranking Member 
Conyers, and Senators on both sides of the aisle joined together in one 
big room to come together and acknowledge the importance of protecting 
women; and then, of course, to acknowledge that violence, domestic 
violence, is a disease, an epidemic that spreads beyond the question of 
whether you are male or female.
  The loss of life that has come about because people have not found a 
refuge is staggering. And for those of us who have heard firsthand 
stories--as a member of the Houston area Women's

[[Page 16533]]

Center, the board that, if you will, had supervision over local Women's 
Centers, where women could go. I have known and have seen stories that 
would argue so vigorously for more funding and more recognition and 
more laws that would protect these women.
  So I am glad that even though the journey was even longer to get the 
Violence Against Women Act passed in the last Congress that we 
ultimately, after the many petitions that we were involved in, saw a 
bipartisan vote in the House and the Senate--much longer in the House--
that allowed it to go to the President's desk.
  So my remarks, as I summarize, are to say that this is an ongoing 
cause. Domestic violence comes from tension and pressure, but it 
results in violence that culminates with the loss of life. Time after 
time, women and children suffer a loss of life through violence by a 
spouse or a loved one; and, of course, we know that it occurs with men. 
Time after time, women in the United States military suffer from the 
act of violence, domestic violence, or violence against women.
  So I want to thank the gentleman for giving me the opportunity to at 
least acknowledge that this is a somber occasion, and there is great 
need for continued support.
  My last sentence, Mr. Green: you mentioned resources. I hope as we 
leave this floor that we will all reinforce the elimination of the 
sequester and a budget process that will allow the funding of vital 
programs like the Violence Against Women Act.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank the gentlewoman.
  And because time is of the essence, I will move quickly to the 
gentleman from the 41st District of California, the Honorable Mark 
Takano.
  Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I stand today with my colleagues in recognizing Domestic Violence 
Awareness Month.
  The unfortunate reality is that domestic violence is something that 
affects every community in America, as it touches every race, class, 
gender, and sexual orientation. Millions of domestic violence incidents 
are reported each year, and many more go unreported. Too often, 
domestic violence remains within the confines of the household, as many 
victims do not contact law enforcement or go public, often out of fear.
  When it was first observed 26 years ago, Domestic Violence Awareness 
Month sought to shine a light on this tragic reality by educating the 
public, empowering the victims, and punishing the offenders. And in the 
26 years since, we have made great progress, partly due to the Violence 
Against Women Act, which provides critical support to programs for 
victims and their families, as well as resources for law enforcement 
and community organizations.
  With a 51 percent increase in reporting by women and a 37 percent 
increase in reporting by men, the results have been nothing short of 
incredible. Domestic violence is wrong, and no victim should be 
hesitant to report it. I encourage every American who feels threatened 
or who knows someone in a dangerous situation to contact law 
enforcement or a community organization. Together, we can strive to end 
domestic violence abuse in our communities.
  I yield back to the gentleman.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I do thank you for your 
indulgence. You have been liberal with the time.
  And I want to remind persons that while we do this on an annual basis 
in the month of October, we do want to make domestic violence awareness 
an everyday activity.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________