BILL NUMBER: ACR 2	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JULY 13, 2005

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Cohn
    (   Principal coauthor:   Assembly Member
  Negrete McLeod   ) 
    (   Principal coauthor:   Senator 
 Alquist   ) 

                        DECEMBER 6, 2004

   Relative to Domestic Violence Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 2, as amended, Cohn  Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
   This measure would proclaim the month of October 2005 as Domestic
Violence Awareness Month.
   Fiscal committee: no.




   WHEREAS, Home should be a place of warmth, unconditional love, and
security; however, for many Americans, home is tainted with violence
and fear; and
   WHEREAS, Domestic violence is much more than the occasional family
dispute; and
   WHEREAS, According to the Surgeon General, United States Public
Health Service, domestic violence is a societal problem of epidemic
proportions; and
   WHEREAS, According to experts, between 2 and 4 million American
women are battered every year, and between 3.3 and 10 million
children witness violence in their homes; and
   WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Labor,
1,000,000 people are assaulted and injured every year as a result of
workplace violence, 1,000 people are killed every year due to
workplace violence, and 30 percent of battered women lose their jobs
due to harassment at work by abusive husbands and boyfriends; and
   WHEREAS, Battering affects families across America in all
socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups; and
   WHEREAS, More than one-half of the number of women in need of
shelter from an abusive environment may be turned away from a shelter
due to  a  lack of space; and
   WHEREAS, Women are not the only targets of domestic violence:
young children, elderly persons, and men are also victims in their
own homes; and
   WHEREAS, Emotional, physical, and psychological scars are often
permanent; and
   WHEREAS, A coalition of organizations has emerged to confront this
crisis directly. Law enforcement agencies, domestic violence
hotlines, battered women and childrens' shelters, health care
providers, faith-based organizations, the courts, and the volunteers
that serve those entities are helping in the effort to end domestic
violence; and
   WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and
dedication of the individuals involved in that effort, applaud their
commitment, and increase public understanding of this significant
problem; and
   WHEREAS, The first Day of Unity was celebrated in October 1981 and
was sponsored by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
for the purpose of uniting battered womens' advocates across the
nation in an effort to end domestic violence; and
   WHEREAS, That one day has grown into a month of activities at all
levels of government, aimed at creating awareness about the problem
and presenting solutions; and
   WHEREAS, The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was
proclaimed in October 1987; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month
of October 2005 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of
this resolution to the President of the United States, the Governor
of the State of California, the Director of the United States
Department of Health and Human Services, and to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.