[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16603-16604]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as a former judge and prosecutor, I 
saw the impact of domestic violence firsthand.
  As co-founders of the Victims' Rights Caucus, with my friend Jim 
Costa from California, we believe that it is important to recognize 
October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

[[Page 16604]]

  My grandmother used to always say, ``You never hurt someone you claim 
you love.'' Yet, in 2014 alone, 132 women were killed in domestic 
violence-related incidents in Texas.
  After a history of spousal abuse, 27-year-old Candace Williams 
Deckard of Houston, Texas, was murdered by her husband on July 17, 
2014. She had three children. Her toddler was in the room when she was 
murdered. Another one of her children, a 7-year-old, ran down the 
street for help. All of these children will grow up without their 
mother.
  Domestic violence, Mr. Speaker, is not a family issue; it is a 
national health issue, and it is a criminal justice issue. Domestic 
violence is a scourge on our national culture. We must not tolerate 
those who would destroy a family by abuse and murder. We must protect 
victims.
  After all, Mr. Speaker, you never hurt someone you claim you love.
  And that is just the way it is.

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