Ending Abuse—Improving Lives - Florida Department of Children ...

the Duluth, Minnesota Domestic Abuse Intervention Projectand nearly 200 people attended this event from centralFlorida communities.The Department of Children and Families and GovernorBush remain steadfast in the view that perpetrators ofdomestic violence will be held accountable for crimesagainst women and children in Florida. The departmentmonitors the state’s certified batterer interventionprograms, which provide services to offenders ofdomestic violence. Forty six percent of the 7,936 batterersenrolled in FY 2005-2006 successfully completeda program. The year 2006 marks the 10 th anniversary ofstate certification of batterer intervention programs andassessors in Florida. At the end of the fiscal year, therewere 140 certified programs and 238 certified assessorsin Florida, including initial certification for five programsand twenty-five assessors.The Florida Legislature continued generous support ofthe Governor’s Violence Free Florida! campaign in 2005by appropriating more than $28 million in support servicesfor victims of domestic violence. Sixty-four percentof the funding was from federal programs such as theFamily Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA),Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), ViolenceAgainst Women Act (VAWA), and the Social ServicesBlock Grant (SSBG). State funding accounted for36 percent of the budget, with fees and fines providingmost of the revenue.For the past eight years, Governor Bush has demonstratedhis strong commitment to protect Florida’s victims ofdomestic violence by signing significant legislation,which he has continued this year. In 2006, the Governorsigned three important domestic violence related bills.The first increases the penalty for trespassing at a domesticviolence center to a third degree felony. The secondbill directs that anyone engaging in human traffickingby forcing someone to perform labor be charged withracketeering. The last piece of legislation increases therequired continuing education in domestic violence forphysicians from one hour to two hours at initial licensure.This bill also mandates that the course must consist ofinformation on domestic violence screening, history, andprofessional practice.Violence Free Florida! initiative through earnest legislativeachievements that hold perpetrators of domestic violenceaccountable for their crimes. The Legislature has demonstratedcompassion for domestic violence victims andtheir children by recognizing the need to protect the vulnerablecitizens of Florida by passing laws and supportingprograms that provide education, public awareness, safehousing, and offender accountability.We know from research that over two million acts ofdomestic violence take place in the United States everyyear. Congressman Jerry Moran (Kansas) stated in hisspeech given before Congress in honor of DomesticViolence Awareness Month (Oct. 2005) that “domesticviolence is an issue that affects all aspects of societyand is not bound by race, economics, or age. It canbe blamed for increased medical costs and decreasedproductivity. Domestic violence promotes a culture ofdepression, hopelessness, and fear. We know that eachyear an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed toviolence committed by family members against theirmother or caretaker. Children who see violence are morelikely to commit or suffer violence when they becomeadults. The cycle of despair continues from one generationto the next.”Lucy Hadi, Secretary of the Department of Children andFamilies, supports Governor Bush and the Florida Legislature’sefforts to “deliver a level and quality of servicewe would want for our own families.” The departmentrecognizes that no system is perfect. Building a systematiccommunity response to family violence begins witha strong commitment from Legislators, community andfaith-based organizations, law enforcement, prosecutionand courts. It is through this innovative coordinatedeffort and the outstanding partnership with theFlorida Coalition Against Domestic Violence that Floridais recognized as a national leader in the battle againstdomestic violence. Lastly, we wish to thank Governorand Mrs. Bush for their years of dedicated commitmentto strengthening programs that support the protectionof women and children exposed to domestic violence.Without their tireless efforts and influence, funding,special projects, and prestigious national recognitionwould not have been possible.We sincerely appreciate and thank the Legislature fortheir non-partisan commitment to support the Governor’s Domestic Violence Annual Report 2005-2006