Political Quotes

“in the city of Chicago, which I am proud to represent, there is an organization called Life Span. This is an incredible group of people who dedicate their lives to providing comprehensive services for the survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Every day they respond to horrifying cases of abuse. They help thousands of women and children access the support they need to address trauma and to rebuild their lives. For example, Life Span recently assisted a woman after her teenage daughter was sexually assaulted by the woman's husband. Life Span was able to help the mother and daughter navigate the overwhelming challenges of pursuing justice against the abuser and offer support to the daughter throughout this horrible process. When the mother pursued a divorce from the abuser, Life Span filed a petition and is representing the mother as she navigates issues of child support and allocation of custody. The three Life Span staffers that the mother and daughter have interacted with all provided critical bilingual and bicultural support. They have provided this crucial service for this family during an incredibly traumatic experience. And all three of these staffers are funded by assistance provided through the Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA. Life Span told me that without VOCA funding, ``none of these personnel . . . would be able to have done this job.'' Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act in 1984 to establish the Crime Victims Fund.…”