News Release

Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo will speak against domestic violence and about federal help for victims during a visit to Coeur d'Alene this Saturday. Crapo will keynote the annual meeting for the Coeur d'Alene Women's Center with an update on legislative efforts to stop domestic violence.

"The Women's Center epitomizes how programs to stop violence against women and children should work," Crapo noted. "The effort is rooted at the local level and includes faith-based organizations, local law enforcement and the education community. The Center builds on successes at the local level to ably garner additional support and resources from the state and federal governments. The 20-year history of the Coeur d'Alene Women's Center is a model other communities can build on to rally against family violence."

Crapo has provided leadership in domestic violence and abuse issues since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998. He used Idaho's Cassie's Law as the impetus to make changes in federal law that recognized, for the first time, that those in dating relationships can also be victims of domestic violence. The changes allowed those individuals to receive federal assistance and participate in federal domestic violence programs. He sponsored legislation on teen dating violence and partnered with the Department of Justice, the American Bar Association and private firms like Liz Claiborne to create anti-abuse curriculums for schools. He has led the fight annually for the funding of anti-violence programs and has been credited with stopping attempts by federal government budget writers to raid trust funds designated to assist women and child victims of family violence. Those trust funds contain fines that are paid by individuals who are convicted of abuse crimes and do not contain any taxpayer funds.

"All aspects of domestic violence must continue to be addressed, from crisis intervention and emergency response and support, to shelter, counseling, prosecution and the long process of rebuilding lives of hope through empowerment and changes in behaviors and attitudes," Crapo said. "Men have an important role to play to condemn family violence and set an example by speaking out and holding others accountable for their actions."

Event: Keynote remarks at Coeur d'Alene Women's Center Date: Saturday, June 9, 2007 Time: Approximately 6:15 p.m. Pacific Location: Old White House facility, 805 East Sherman Avenue, Coeur d'Alene