III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 448 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness 

Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 2, 2023 

Ms. BUTLER (for herself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, and Ms. ERNST) submitted the following resolution; which 

was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Domestic 

Violence Awareness Month. 

Whereas, according to the National Intimate Partner and 

Sexual Violence Survey— 

(1) up to 12,000,000 individuals in the United 

States report experiencing intimate partner violence annually, including physical violence, rape, or stalking; and 

(2) approximately 1 in 5 women in the United 

States and up to 1 in 7 men in the United States have 

experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetimes; 

Whereas, on average, 3 women in the United States are killed 

each day by a current or former intimate partner, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics; 


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•SRES 448 ATS 

Whereas domestic violence can affect anyone, but women who 

are 18 to 34 years of age typically experience the highest 

rates of domestic violence; 

Whereas survivors of domestic violence are strong, courageous, and resilient; 

Whereas most female victims of intimate partner violence 

have been victimized by the same offender previously; 

Whereas domestic violence is cited as a significant factor in 

homelessness among families; 

Whereas millions of children are exposed to domestic violence 

each year; 

Whereas a study has found that children who were exposed 

to domestic violence in their households were 15 times 

more likely to be physically or sexually assaulted in their 

lifetime than other children who were not exposed to domestic violence in their households; 

Whereas victims of domestic violence experience immediate 

and long-term negative outcomes, including detrimental 

effects on mental and physical health; 

Whereas research consistently shows that being abused by an 

intimate partner increases an individual’s likelihood of 

substance use as well as associated harmful consequences; 

Whereas victims of domestic violence may lose several days 

of paid work each year and may lose their jobs due to 

reasons stemming from domestic violence; 

Whereas crisis hotlines serving domestic violence victims operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and offer important crisis intervention services, support services, information, and referrals for victims; 


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•SRES 448 ATS 

Whereas staff and volunteers of domestic violence shelters 

and programs in the United States, in cooperation with 

56 State and territorial coalitions against domestic violence, provide essential services to— 

(1) thousands of adults and children each day; and 

(2) 1,000,000 adults and children each year; 

Whereas domestic violence programs and hotlines have seen 

a substantial increase in contacts since 2020, and continue to experience a surge in requests for services, with 

the National Domestic Violence Hotline averaging approximately 3,000 daily contacts in 2023, up from 800 

to 1,200 average daily contacts before the COVID–19 

pandemic; 

Whereas nearly 85 percent of American Indian and Alaska 

Native women have experienced some form of intimate 

partner violence in their lifetime; 

Whereas respondents to a survey of domestic violence programs reported that survivors of domestic violence often 

face financial challenges, with 8,000,000 days of paid 

work lost each year due to intimate partner violence; 

Whereas medical professionals have reported that survivors of 

domestic violence presented with more severe injuries 

during the pandemic; 

Whereas domestic violence programs changed the way they 

provide services in response to the COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas advocates for survivors of domestic violence and survivors face the same challenges with child care and facilitating online learning that others do; 

Whereas, according to a 2022 survey conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, 79,335 domestic violence victims were served by domestic violence shelVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Nov 03, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR448.ATS SR448

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•SRES 448 ATS 

ters and programs around the United States in a single 

day; 

Whereas some victims of domestic violence face additional 

challenges in accessing law enforcement and services due 

to conditions specific to the communities in which they 

live; 

Whereas law enforcement officers in the United States put 

their lives at risk each day by responding to incidents of 

domestic violence, which can be among the most volatile 

and deadly calls; 

Whereas Congress first demonstrated a significant commitment to supporting victims of domestic violence with the 

enactment of the landmark Family Violence Prevention 

and Services Act (42 U.S.C. 10401 et seq.); 

Whereas Congress has remained committed to protecting survivors of all forms of domestic violence and sexual abuse 

by making Federal funding available to support the activities that are authorized under— 

(1) the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act 

(42 U.S.C. 10401 et seq.); 

(2) the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 

U.S.C. 12291 et seq.); and 

(3) the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims 

Fund Act of 2021 (34 U.S.C. 10101 note; Public Law 

117–27); 

Whereas there is a need to continue to support programs and 

activities aimed at domestic violence intervention and domestic violence prevention in the United States; 

Whereas domestic violence programs provide trauma-informed services to protect the safety, privacy, and confidentiality of survivors of domestic violence; and 


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•SRES 448 ATS 

Whereas individuals and organizations that are dedicated to 

preventing and ending domestic violence should be recognized: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Senate— 

3 (A) supports the goals and ideals of ‘‘Na4 tional Domestic Violence Awareness Month’’; 

5 (B) commends domestic violence victim ad6 vocates, domestic violence victim service pro7 viders, crisis hotline staff, and first responders 

8 serving victims of domestic violence for their 

9 compassionate support of survivors of domestic 

10 violence; and 

11 (C) recognizes the strength and courage of 

12 survivors of domestic violence; and 

13 (2) it is the sense of the Senate that Congress 

14 should— 

15 (A) continue to raise awareness of— 

16 (i) domestic violence in the United 

17 States; and 

18 (ii) the corresponding devastating ef19 fects of domestic violence on survivors, 

20 families, and communities; and 

21 (B) pledge continued support for programs 

22 designed to— 


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•SRES 448 ATS 

1 (i) assist survivors of domestic vio2 lence; 

3 (ii) hold perpetrators of domestic vio4 lence accountable; and 

5 (iii) bring an end to domestic violence. 

Æ 


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