Lois Frankel: “I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of what I consider, and…”

“I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of what I consider, and many consider, one of the most important pieces of legislation that protects the families of America, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, because no woman or man or child should ever be afraid to walk into their own home because of fear from violence from a spouse or a dating partner. So today, I rise on behalf of one of my constituents named Olga, from Florida, who on her wedding day thought she was entering into a dream marriage for herself and her two children. But this marriage turned into a nightmare when her husband became aggressive, violent, and controlling, imprisoning Olga and her two children in their own home, not even letting the children go to school. Olga fled to my hometown and was nurtured back to emotional and financial health by a local domestic violence organization in my community. The Violence Against Women Act helps tackle the epidemic of domestic violence, stalking, dating violence, and sexual violence. Since it was first passed in 1994, serious victimization by an intimate partner has dropped by 72 percent for women and 64 percent for men. However, it is estimated that as many as 45 million adults will still experience physical violence, rape, or stalking by an intimate partner sometime in their lives.…”