{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=78FE7E28-2F88-40B1-970C-C8B45C35D27D", "Heitkamp Marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Tour of Rape & Abuse Crisis Center", "2016-10-06", "2016", "2016-10", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FARGO, N.D. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today toured Fargo\u2019s Rape and Abuse Crisis Center \u2013 which offers resources for domestic, sexual, and dating violence survivors \u2013 and thanked staff and board members for helping victims, educating the community, and preventing violence.\r\nHeitkamp\u2019s tour of the center coincided with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is recognized every October to encourage conversation about rape and abuse, to reduce stigma, and to help victims escape and recover from violent situations.\r\n\u201cAs North Dakota\u2019s attorney general in the 90s and now in the U.S. Senate, I\u2019ve fought to combat domestic violence, bring perpetrators to justice, and help victims recover,\u201d said Heitkamp. \u201cDuring National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it\u2019s our duty to say thank you to folks at organizations like the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center who are on the ground making victims\u2019 lives better every day, and raising awareness across our community. The counseling, education, and prevention the center provides make a difference for so many North Dakota women, children, and men who have been survived these crimes, and those who are still seeking recovery.\u201d\r\n\u201cAs Senator Heitkamp has said, our center supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault every month of the year \u2013 24 hours a day, seven days a week\u201d said Myla Korbel, program director at the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. \u201cI\u2019d like to thank Senator Heitkamp for joining us to mark National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and for being a strong advocate since her days as attorney general. Last year alone, our staff of 40 helped more than 3,000 victims of sexual and domestic violence, including 500 children. We work every day through advocacy, outreach, counseling, and education to prevent domestic violence and help victims in our community.\u201d\r\nThe Rape and Abuse Crisis Center operates a 24-hour crisis hotline staffed by trained advocates. If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic violence, you can reach out to the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center at (701) 293-7273.\r\nSince serving as North Dakota\u2019s Attorney General in the 1990s, Heitkamp has worked to prevent domestic abuse of women, men, and children through the original implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). According to the Justice Department, annual incidences of domestic violence have\u00a0fallen more than 60 percent\u00a0since 1993 \u2013 results that are due in large part to VAWA.\r\nAs a U.S. Senator, Heitkamp fought in 2013 to reauthorize and strengthen VAWA as one of the first bills she cosponsored upon entering the U.S. Senate.\r\nLast year, Heitkamp supported a year-end spending deal that included a significant increase in federal funding to support domestic violence victims. The $480 million in federal support from the Office on Violence Against Women was a $50 million increase from the previous year, to be used for victims\u2019 services, legal, training and technical assistance, as well as research and analysis on violence against Native women.\u00a0\r\nSince joining the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp has worked to combat domestic violence and stop those who seek to harm adults and children by:\r\n \r\nSuccessfully fighting for greater protections for tribal communities in Violence Against Women Act reauthorization.\u00a0The first bill Heitkamp cosponsored in the U.S. Senate was the\u00a0reauthorization of VAWA,\u00a0which she then played a key role in pushing through Congress. Heitkamp\u00a0worked to include a key provision in VAWA\u00a0to address the continuing crisis of violence against women in tribal communities. The provision strengthens the existing programs and provides tribal governments the force they need to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators who commit these crimes on tribal land.\r\n \r\n \r\nSecuring greater legal protections and services for domestic and sexual violence victims.\u00a0In November 2015, Heitkamp\u2019s bipartisan\u00a0Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent or POWER Act\u00a0(POWER Act)\u00a0to help combat domestic abuse and sexual violence by promoting pro-bono legal services unanimously passed\u00a0in the U.S. Senate. The bill was introduced in the House last month.\r\n \r\n \r\nRaising awareness of domestic violence resources in North Dakota.\u00a0In October 2014, Heitkamp met with community leaders, advocates, and victims services in\u00a0Fargo\u00a0and\u00a0Minot\u00a0to highlight the need to address domestic violence as a public health crisis. Heitkamp also toured the\u00a0Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC) in Grand Forks in January of 2015 and in\u00a0Minot in March of 2015 to see programs supporting victims and combatting domestic violence in the region.\r\n \r\n \r\nAddressing emerging challenges in North Dakota to better combat domestic violence.\u00a0In 2014, Heitkamp convened a task force of experts, law enforcement and leaders across the state in launching her\u00a0Strong & Safe Communities Initiative\u00a0to address emerging challenges \u2013 including a rise in domestic violence \u2013 in the wake of the oil and gas boom. In October 2015, Heitkamp hosted her\u00a0Strong & Safe Communities Summit\u00a0with about 150 community leaders to discuss solutions on domestic violence and a host of other issues facing the state.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=78FE7E28-2F88-40B1-970C-C8B45C35D27D"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0805530473589897, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}