Dave Reichert: “I thank the gentlewoman and also thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing this resolution. As has been said…”

“I thank the gentlewoman and also thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing this resolution. As has been said already this afternoon, Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue; and I come before this House to talk about this issue because it is a passion that I share with all Americans across this country to eliminate, eventually, domestic violence. As a young person growing up and experiencing domestic violence in my own household, and then also as the sheriff of King County and a law enforcement officer for 33 years, I have a great deal of experience in witnessing the effects and impacts that domestic violence has on our own personal lives and on our communities and our Nation as a whole. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution and recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to be an original cosponsor of the Violence against Women Act of 2005, which will be considered in the full House tomorrow. The Violence Against Women Act has provided Federal resources and protections for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It is crucial that Congress reauthorize this program. I want to take a moment just to share maybe a story or two, to draw a picture for those who may be listening, about what domestic violence really does. It takes lives, it takes families, it takes communities. I have seen it.…”