House Resolution Recognizes Domestic Violence Month

On September 28, the House approved, by voice vote, a resolution supporting National Domestic Violence Month (H. Res. 1637).

Sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• Teen girls who are physically and sexually abused are up to six times more likely to become pregnant, and more than two times as likely to report a sexually transmitted disease, than teen girls who are not abused;
• 1.5 million high school students nationwide experienced physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year;
• Adolescent girls who reported dating violence were 60 percent more likely to report one or more suicide attempts in the past year;
• There is a need for middle schools, secondary schools, and post-secondary schools to educate students about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking;
• The annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is estimated at $727.8 million with over 7.9 million paid workdays lost per year;
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2003, the costs of intimate partner violence exceed $8.3 billion and $1.2 billion in the value of lost lives; and
• Research shows that intimate partner violence costs a health plan $19.3 million each year for every 100,000 women between ages 18 to 64 enrolled.

The resolution expresses the sense of the House that “Congress should continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on families and communities, and support programs designed to end domestic violence.”