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[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 66 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 66

     To express the sense of the Congress that any welfare reform 
     legislation enacted by the Congress should include provisions 
                     addressing domestic violence.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 27, 1996

 Mr. Wellstone (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
    Feingold, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Simon, and Mr. Sarbanes) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
     To express the sense of the Congress that any welfare reform 
     legislation enacted by the Congress should include provisions 
                     addressing domestic violence.

Whereas, in enacting the Violence Against Women Act, the Congress recognized the 
        epidemic of violence that affects all aspects of women's lives;
Whereas violence against women is the leading cause of physical injury to women, 
        and the Department of Justice estimates that every year more than 
        1,000,000 violent crimes against women, including assault, rape, and 
        murder, are committed by intimate partners of the women;
Whereas the American Psychological Association has reported that violence 
        against women is usually witnessed by the children of the direct 
        victims, and that such child witnesses suffer severe psychological, 
        cognitive, and physical damage, and studies have shown that children 
        residing in battered mothers' homes are 15 times more likely to be 
        physically abused or neglected, and male children residing in such homes 
        are 3 times more likely to be violent with their female partners when 
        they reach adulthood;
Whereas violence against women dramatically affects women's workforce 
        participation, insofar as \1/4\ of battered women surveyed reported that 
        they had lost a job due, at least in part, to the effects of domestic 
        violence, and that over \1/2\ of battered women reported that they had 
        been harassed by their abuser at work;
Whereas violence against women is often exacerbated as women seek to gain 
        economic independence, and often increases when women attend school or 
        training programs, and batterers often prevent women from attending such 
        programs, and often sabotage their efforts at self-improvement;
Whereas numerous studies have shown that at least 60 percent of battered women 
        suffer from some or all of the following symptoms: terrifying 
        flashbacks, sleep disorders, inability to concentrate, as well as other 
        symptoms, all of which can impair a victim's ability to obtain and 
        retain employment;
Whereas several recent studies indicate that over 50 percent of women in 
        welfare-to-work programs have been or currently are victims of domestic 
        violence, and a study by the State of Washington indicates that over 50 
        percent of recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) 
        in that State have been so victimized;
Whereas the availability of economic support is a critical factor in a woman's 
        ability to leave abusive situations that threaten themselves and their 
        children, and over \1/2\ of battered women surveyed reported that they 
        stayed with their batterers because they lacked resources to support 
        themselves and their children;
Whereas proposals to restructure the AFDC program may impact the availability of 
        the economic support and the safety net necessary to enable poor women 
        to flee abuse without risking homelessness and starvation for their 
        families; and
Whereas proposals to restructure the AFDC program by imposing time limits and 
        increasing emphasis on work and job training should be evaluated in 
        light of data demonstrating the extent to which domestic violence 
        affects women's participation in such programs, and in light of the 
        Congress' commitment to seriously address the issue of violence against 
        women as evidenced by the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That--
            (1) when the Congress considers proposed welfare 
        legislation, it should seriously evaluate whether such welfare 
        measure would exacerbate violence against women, make it more 
        difficult for women and children to escape domestic violence, 
        or would unfairly penalize women and children victimized by or 
        at risk of violence;
            (2) any welfare legislation enacted by the Congress should 
        require that any welfare-to-work, education, or job placement 
        program implemented by the States should take domestic violence 
        into account, by providing, among other things, mechanisms 
        for--
                    (A) screening and identifying recipients with a 
                history of domestic violence;
                    (B) referring such recipients to counseling and 
                supportive services;
                    (C) tolling time limits for recipients victimized 
                by domestic violence; and
                    (D) waiving, pursuant to a determination of good 
                cause, other program requirements such as residency 
                requirements, child support cooperation requirements, 
                and family cap provisions, in cases where compliance 
                with such requirements would make it more difficult for 
                the recipients to escape domestic violence or unfairly 
                penalize recipients victimized by or at risk of further 
                violence;
            (3) any welfare legislation enacted by the Congress should 
        include a provision requiring that the Comptroller General 
        should develop and implement a comprehensive study of the 
        incidence and effect of domestic violence on AFDC recipients, 
        including a study of the extent to which domestic violence both 
        precipitates and prolongs women's and children's poverty and 
        the need for AFDC; and
            (4) any welfare reform legislation adopted by the States 
        that contains a welfare-to-work, education, or job placement 
        program should take domestic violence into account, by 
        providing, among other things, mechanisms for--
                    (A) screening and identifying recipients with a 
                history of domestic violence;
                    (B) referring such recipients to counseling and 
                supportive services;
                    (C) tolling time limits for recipients victimized 
                by domestic violence; and
                    (D) waiving other program requirements, pursuant to 
                a determination of good cause, such as residency 
                requirements, child support cooperation requirements, 
                and family cap provisions, in cases where compliance 
                with such requirements would make it more difficult for 
                the recipients and their children to escape domestic 
                violence or unfairly penalize recipients victimized by 
                or at risk of further violence.
                                 <all>
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