Costello, House colleagues unveil bipartisan caucus to work on ending domestic violence

U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA) on April 16 launched the Bipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence, a congressional caucus that plans to meet monthly and work with stakeholders toward ending domestic violence, the violent or aggressive physical, sexual, psychological, and/or emotional abuse within the home, typically involving one intimate partner against another.

In the United States, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) reports that an average of 20 people are physically abused by intimate partners every minute – equating to more than 10 million abuse victims annually. Intimate partner violence also accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime in America, NCADV says, and when a gun is introduced into a domestic violence situation, the risk of homicide soars 500 percent.

“This working group will be an important forum for sharing ideas for legislation and other efforts that can reduce domestic violence in Pennsylvania and across the country,” said Rep. Costello, who is a cofounder along with U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) of the Bipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence.

The caucus members also will engage with experts and stakeholders to develop legislative solutions to support survivors of domestic violence and to establish prevention programs, according to a statement from Rep. Costello’s office.

“I’m proud to work with Congresswoman Dingell and Congresswoman Moore to advance solutions that can result in real change for survivors of domestic violence and their families,” the congressman said.

Rep. Dingell noted that domestic violence impacts people of “every age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and yes, political persuasion.” She said the group is fortunate to have the foremost domestic violence organizations ready to share how they can collectively accomplish their goal of ending domestic violence.

“This is not a Democratic or Republican priority, and it is our hope that by engaging on a regular monthly basis with experts and our colleagues we can find new ways to collaborate and move closer to communities that are free from violence and assault,” said Dingell.

Rep. Moore said working to free communities from the terrors of domestic violence has been one of her primary passions since coming to Congress. “I am hopeful that we will build innovative solutions that lift up survivors and protect future generations from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking,” she added.

Facilitated by the National Task Force to End Domestic Violence, the congressional working group plans to schedule presentations each month from experts representing a variety of domestic violence issue areas, such as immigration, forced marriage, LGBTQ, and campus sexual assault, among other topics, according to the statement from Rep. Costello’s staff.