Political Quotes

“October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for arranging Members to come to the floor and remind my colleagues about October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is a time of heightened awareness of the problem, and a time to discuss what our society and local communities can do to help. I would like at this time to talk briefly about the Call to Protect program. As a participant in this program, my offices have collected thousands of phones from around the country to donate to victims of domestic violence. Call to Protect is a domestic violence prevention project. It provides those in danger with instant access to help in the form of a wireless phone. Donated phones are programmed so that victims can reach emergency personnel with a click of the button. This gives victims the power to protect themselves rather than live in fear. This program has helped thousands of women. One success story is particularly close to me as it happened in my district. Brandon Pope, a 5-year-old boy, used a donated phone to save his mother's life in Centralia, Illinois.”