III

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
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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;
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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

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That—

3 (1) when the Congress considers proposed wel4 fare legislation, it should seriously evaluate whether

5 such welfare measure would exacerbate violence

6 against women, make it more difficult for women

7 and children to escape domestic violence, or would

8 unfairly penalize women and children victimized by

9 or at risk of violence;
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1 (2) any welfare legislation enacted by the Con2 gress should require that any welfare-to-work, edu3 cation, or job placement program implemented by

4 the States should take domestic violence into ac5 count, by providing, among other things, mecha6 nisms for—

7 (A) screening and identifying recipients

8 with a history of domestic violence;

9 (B) referring such recipients to counseling

10 and supportive services;

11 (C) tolling time limits for recipients victim12 ized by domestic violence; and

13 (D) waiving, pursuant to a determination

14 of good cause, other program requirements such

15 as residency requirements, child support co16 operation requirements, and family cap provi17 sions, in cases where compliance with such re18 quirements would make it more difficult for the

19 recipients to escape domestic violence or un20 fairly penalize recipients victimized by or at risk

21 of further violence;

22 (3) any welfare legislation enacted by the Con23 gress should include a provision requiring that the

24 Comptroller General should develop and implement a

25 comprehensive study of the incidence and effect of
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1 domestic violence on AFDC recipients, including a

2 study of the extent to which domestic violence both

3 precipitates and prolongs women’s and children’s

4 poverty and the need for AFDC; and

5 (4) any welfare reform legislation adopted by

6 the States that contains a welfare-to-work, edu7 cation, or job placement program should take do8 mestic violence into account, by providing, among

9 other things, mechanisms for—

10 (A) screening and identifying recipients

11 with a history of domestic violence;

12 (B) referring such recipients to counseling

13 and supportive services;

14 (C) tolling time limits for recipients victim15 ized by domestic violence; and

16 (D) waiving other program requirements,

17 pursuant to a determination of good cause,

18 such as residency requirements, child support

19 cooperation requirements, and family cap provi20 sions, in cases where compliance with such re21 quirements would make it more difficult for the

22 recipients and their children to escape domestic

23 violence or unfairly penalize recipients victim24 ized by or at risk of further violence.

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