{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=b9a793aa-7da4-43da-b634-ec3fa6a1b4fd", "Senator McConnell Honored with National Award by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)", "2013-12-04", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McConnell awarded \u201cCrime Fighter Award\u201d for work to protect women from violence\r\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was awarded the Crime Fighter Award this evening by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), in recognition of his work and commitment to combat sexual violence. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) also received the award.\r\n\u201cI\u2019m deeply honored to receive this award and I thank RAINN for its support. I look forward to continuing to work with them on behalf of the Kentuckians I represent in the United States Senate,\u201d Senator Mitch McConnell said. \u201cRAINN does incredibly important work by providing critical outreach to those who feel like they have nowhere else to turn. RAINN is doing far more than just assisting the victims of sexual violence. It\u2019s helping to turn back the tide of sexual violence and ensuring that those who perpetrate these terrible crimes are brought to justice.\u201d\r\n\"Sen. McConnell's partnership with RAINN has been essential on Capitol Hill. His extraordinary leadership, hard work and bipartisan efforts have led to a significant reduction in sexual violence and to safer communities in Kentucky and across America. Recently, Sen. McConnell co-sponsored S.822, the Justice for All Reauthorization Act. This bill renews the Debbie Smith Act and will help crime labs working to end the backlog of untested DNA evidence from unsolved rape cases and put rapists behind bars. Sen. McConnell also stood with us to pass the SAFER Act, which will be enormously helpful in eliminating the DNA evidence backlog. We thank Sen. McConnell for his leadership and his extraordinary efforts to enact laws that help victims of sexual violence and take predators off the streets,\u201d said Scott Berkowitz, RAINN president & founder.\r\nAs the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN helps prevent sexual violence, assists victims, and ensures that rapists are brought to justice. RAINN established and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org) in partnership with more than 1,100 rape crisis centers across the country, including more than a dozen across Kentucky.\r\n\r\nUpon accepting the award, Senator McConnell made the following remarks (as prepared):\r\n\u201cThank you all very much for this award. I\u2019m deeply honored to receive it.\r\n\u201cYou do incredibly important work. And you know the challenges we continue to face when it comes to sexual assault in this country.\r\n\u201cThe statistics tell the story. Roughly 20 million people in this country have been the victims of sexual assault. An assault occurs every two minutes. And 97% of rapists will never spend a single day behind bars.\r\n\u201cThat\u2019s why organizations like RAINN have never been more important. The hotlines you operate, the outreach you conduct, the programs you develop. You are truly providing hope to the hopeless. To those who feel they have nowhere else to turn.\r\n\u201cAnd through its advocacy, RAINN is doing far more than just assisting the victims of sexual violence. It\u2019s helping to turn back the tide of sexual violence \u2013 and to ensure that those who perpetrate these terrible crimes are brought to justice.\r\n\u201cAnd let me also say this: you\u2019ve been an indispensable legislative partner to those of us who share these goals. Working together, we\u2019ve helped move the conversation forward in Washington. And we\u2019ve seen results.\r\n\u201cLast year, we fought together to reduce the unacceptable backlog for DNA testing and to get more criminals off the streets. And much of what we\u2019ve fought for has since become law. But there\u2019s a lot more to be done.\r\n\u201cOur next challenge is to pass the Justice for All Act, a bill I\u2019m proud to co-sponsor.\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s critical that we provide crime labs with the resources they need to eliminate backlogs and speed up investigations. And we absolutely need to renew and strengthen the Debbie Smith Act, as Justice for All would do.\r\n\u201cI was honored to meet with Debbie a few months ago. What an incredible woman. You know her story: a wife and mother who was viciously attacked, then victimized again as she waited years for justice. Debbie has since become a strong advocate for those who suffer terrible abuse. She fights so others won\u2019t have to. And it\u2019s fitting that such an important piece of legislation would carry her name.\r\n\r\n\u201cSo thank you again for your tremendously important work, and for the honor of this award.\r\n\u201cAs the father of three daughters, this fight is a personal one for me.\r\n\u201cAnd while it\u2019s true that we\u2019ve made some strides against sexual assault in recent years, we can\u2019t let up.\r\n\u201cWe owe it not just to our daughters, but to our sons, our friends, our neighbors\u2026and the millions of Americans who suffer the torment of sexual violence. They deserve hope, and they deserve justice.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis is an issue Members of Congress should work across the aisle to address \u2013 because, working together, we can give them both. Thank you.\u201d\r\n####", 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.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=b9a793aa-7da4-43da-b634-ec3fa6a1b4fd"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3384970370680094, "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"}