The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUPPORTING AND COMMENDING THE NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S9280-S9281 on Sept. 8, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORTING AND COMMENDING THE NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 537, and the Senate proceed to its consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 537), supporting the National Sexual Assault Hotline and commending the Hotline for counseling and supporting more than 1,000,000 callers.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record as if read without further intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 537) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 537
Whereas it is estimated that a sexual assault occurs every 2.5 minutes in the United States and more than 200,000 people in the United States each year are victims of sexual assault;
Whereas 1 of every 6 women and 1 of every 33 men in the United States have been victims of rape or attempted rape, according to the Department of Justice;
Whereas the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation rank rape second only to murder in the hierarchy of violent crimes;
Whereas research suggests that sexual assault victims who receive counseling are more likely to report the assault to the police and to participate in the prosecution of the offender;
Whereas, in June 2006, the National Sexual Assault Hotline
(referred to in this preamble as ``Hotline'') helped its 1,000,000th caller;
Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, offering important, free, and confidential crisis intervention, support, information, and referrals for victims of sexual assault and their friends and families;
Whereas the Hotline was created by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (referred to in this preamble as ``RAINN''), a non-profit corporation, the headquarters of which are located in Washington, D.C.;
Whereas the Hotline answered its first call on July 27, 1994, and operated solely with private funds for the first 10 years the Hotline was in existence;
Whereas RAINN continues to operate the Hotline today, in partnership with 1,100 local rape crisis centers in the 50 States and the District of Columbia and with over 10,000 trained volunteers and staff, and in collaboration with coalitions against sexual assault in each of the 50 States;
Whereas the Hotline helps an average of 11,000 people each month and in 2005 helped 137,039 women, men, and children across the Nation;
Whereas the public education and outreach undertaken by RAINN and local rape crisis centers have increased public awareness of sexual violence and contributed to a 58-percent decline in crimes of sexual violence since 1993;
Whereas the Hotline has experienced a significant increase in call volume as public awareness of sexual violence has grown, with calls to the Hotline increasing by 43 percent since 2003;
Whereas millions of Americans have learned of the services available through the Hotline, thanks to the public service promotion contributed by every national broadcast television network, a dozen cable networks, and more than 1,000 radio stations, newspapers, and magazines; and
Whereas the Hotline serves as an outstanding example of a successful partnership between the Federal Government, the private sector, and individuals: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the National Sexual Assault Hotline; and
(2) commends the National Sexual Assault Hotline for counseling and supporting more than 1,000,000 callers.
____________________
