Good morning, welcome to the first roundtable for the Bipartisan Task force to end Sexual Violence. I would like to welcome you all to our Exceptional Panel of witnesses and the members of the task force who have joined us here this morning. Thank you all for being here. This promises to be an insightful conversation on a number of issues affecting people across our country. We announced the formation of the task force to end Sexual Violence. Also, assault awareness month. We are educating ourselves and our peers on the challenges our nation faces and the ways we, as representatives, can help combat Sexual Violence in its many forms. My colleagues have their own reasons for being here. For me, i want to be involved , because i saw this problem firsthand in my 25 years as a prosecuting attorney. A Sexual Assault kit is a tool used to collect evidence from a survivor after an assault. These examinations are completed by a medical professional, ideally a specifically trained Sexual Assault nurse examiner, known as a s. A. N. E. Nurse. Our nation faces a backlog, potentially hundreds of thousands of kits deep. This is due to factors such as variance in testing procedures, outdated equipment, lack of guidelines,clear budget restrictions, and generally, a large caseload. Victims are still waiting for justice. That is why this issue is a priority for the task force. We understand without trained nurses who can collect the necessary evidence to go after perpetrators. We have a very special panel of witnesses. I am pleased to welcome ms. Mariska hargitay, she is on law and order, s. V. U. As i told her this morning, our a reason that my daughter completed her first year of her law degree from usc. She is an advocate for victims of a Sexual Assault. As an actress and advocate, ms. Hartigay is an inspiration and force of change. She plays detective benson on law and order, special victims unit. Replaying her character, she was awakened to the weight of shame, fear, darkness and isolation victims suffer. She decided to be part of a multiple education awareness campaigns around these issues for many organizations. She is made Public Service announcements to end the rape kit backlog, bring justice to survivors, prevent child abuse, and engage men to prevent violence and abuse. She has filmed many Public Service announcements with nbc and got milk. Time toowned her various organizations lending her voice and hope to their programs. She is a voice to other organizations in hopes of raising awareness and much needed Financial Support for their programs. She is committed to ending violence and abuse. She spends as much time offscreen dealing with these issues as she did in her role as detective benson. We are pleased you are here to speak with us and look forward to hearing from you. I would like to welcome our next witness, victim advocate, from waco, texas. She is a loving mother, wife, author, speaker, radio host and Sexual Assault survivor. She is a Response Team member for a writ Crisis Center rape , and acenter spokesperson for the Dallas Police program. She founded the empowering ministry for victims of sexual abuse support and survivor initiatives. Ms. Masters, we are honored to have you here, and we look forward to your testimony. Our next witness, mr. Nathan james for Congressional Research service. Focusing on a variety of issues, including Law Enforcement, corrections, and forensic sciences. His recent work is focused on commerce and appropriations for the department of justice, the use of need assessment, promoting policing reforms, and analysis of reported increases of Violent Crime in cities across the United States and Law Enforcement militarization. We are glad to have your expert knowledge, and we look forward to working with you. I am pleased to announce the next two witnesses, my good friend, mike omalley, and our chief prosecutor, thank you both for traveling all the way from cleveland. In november of 2016, mike omalley was elected to prosecuting attorney to cuyahoga valley. I know he knows it well having been the chief running the program and made other prosecutors look good as he was doing so. His office prosecutes nearly 12,000 defendants and handles nearly 7,000 juvenile complaints annually. Prior to taking office, he served as First Assistant safety director and a Cleveland City councilman. He began his career as a probation officer while attending law school at night. Rick bell, his super sidekick, has been an assistant prosecutor for 27 years. Hes currently the special investigations divisions chief overseeing the following task forces, cold case homicides, crimes against children and sexual trafficking and Sexual Assault kit task force. Mr. Bell has supervised every unit of the Criminal Division including the major crime units and Community Based protection units. Were glad both of you could be here today and look forward to your testimony. Last but not least, dr. Jennifer markowitz from the International Association of forensic nurses. Shes a forensic nursing consultant who specializes in issues relating to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and strangulation, including medical forensic examination and professional education and curriculum development. In addition to teaching at workshops around the world, she provides expert testimony, case consultation, and technical assistance, develops training material, resources and publications and is a forensic nurse examiner since 1995. Dr. Markowitz regularly served as faculty consultant for the jag, u. S. Army, the marine corps and coast guard. In 2004, she was named the distinguished fellow the International Association of forensic nurses. In 2012, she served as their president. Thank you very much for being here today. We look forward to your testimony. Ill now hand it over to my fellow cochairs for their Opening Statement. Ms. Kuster. Ms. Kuster thank you, mr. Joyce. I want to thank everyone for being with us for the kickoff of our Bipartisan Task force to end Sexual Violence. I am delighted to have everyone with us. Mariska hargitay, thank you for your leadership on this Issue Advocacy and for speaking out. I am delighted to have Michael Omalley and richard bell with us. We have a lot to learn. Hopefully practices to share. Jennifer markowitz and nathan james, thank you for the work you do. David said that his reason for being here my reason for being here is that over four years ago, as an undergraduate in college, i was assaulted. A few years after that, i was working as staff on capitol hill. Jackie and i were working in offices next to each other. I was, what we now know to be sexually harassed in the workplace, we did not have a name for it back then. A few months after that, i was attacked walking home on capitol hill. Luckily, i was able to get away. The reason i bring this up is that, not about my story, but because it is so common. I did not tell anyone any of these stories for 40 years. I did not tell my husband, my sons, my own family. The reason i now understand is, because i thought it was my fault. I thought it was in the wrong place, i had done the wrong thing. It did not make any sense to me in my 20s why it would be my fault. It has taken me 40 years to understand it certainly was not , and i really appreciate living now. If our generation had been more courageous and spoken up but now i am dedicating my life and im delighted to be here with my colleagues in a bipartisan way. Men and women coming together, our staff has done an extraordinary job, young men and young women. The time is now. Mariska said this morning, we have a moment and can really change the world. Our intention is to bring together members of congress and legislation in initiatives to a ddress Sexual Violence in areas we intend to tackle, k12 education, college safety, military, online harassment, and improved Data Collection and Law Enforcement training. We are starting today with the rape kit backlog. We understand that this is really at the core. It is a demonstration that as a society, we are not caring about victims, survivors of Sexual Assault, men and women. After experiencing the trauma of Sexual Assault and an intensely personal Sexual Assault forensic exam, no survivor should experience the pain and distress of having their Sexual Assault kit backlogged. There is no other crime we would do this, not process the evidence. The failure to test these kits allow rapists to remain on the streets and put more people at risk. We know this to be true now from the evidence of communities that have gone back to test. We will hear from mariska and others about what we have learned about serial predators. Im encouraged by previous bipartisan efforts, the Sexual AssaultKit Initiative, to retest backlogs, engage with survivors, and bring Sexual Assault predators to justice. Congress must continue to build on the progress we have made reducing the Sexual Assault kit backlog. Funding is important, and we will be prepared to fund that to discuss that with you. I am eager to explore the important topics of access to Sexual Assault nurse examiners, known as s. A. N. E. Nurses. They provide compassionate support to survivors for their shortterm and longterm recovery. Rural communities, like in my district of new hampshire, many survivors do not have access to s. A. N. E. Nurses. I would like to explore ways to make that available. We want to ensure everyone has access to a s. A. N. E. Nurse. I think my colleagues on both i think my colleagues on both i thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and i look forward to this discussion. I yield back. Thank you, representative kuster. Mr. Meehan i want to thank my colleagues for being part of this Bipartisan Task force. For identifying this gambit of important issues we want to collectively address. I cannot think of anything more important for us to kick it off then with this important issue that has this distinguished panel has before us today. I thank you each for your presence here today. I thank you for your dedication to this issue through your professional work. As a former prosecutor, we have had the ability or opportunity to engage with the victims on a Broad Spectrum of issues. In my own sense, there was nothing more dehumanizing than someone who has had to go through the crime of being sexually assaulted, in and of itself. It is a different type of victim than any other we deal with, because i think as representative kuster and others have discussed, no one considers themselves at fault for being. Obbed on the street thinking of themselves as somehow a participant. Yet, we so often see victims beginning to question what their role in relationship is to this. How we respond is every bit as important to the victim as the mechanics of this process that we are going through. I think we also have seen progress in this area. Certainly from my time as a prosecutor about a decade ago, to where we are today. We also know there is a long way to go. I want to thank Mariska Hargitay and your organization, the heart which has looked at the issue of rape kit backlogs, something you have experienced by virtue of your professional work. Those who have open themselves to you, what we find is that once somebody has a place to go, these stories are overwhelming in the form of not just the emotion, but the search for a place to help give me closure, but not even closure. I think the issue is, give me back control of this thing that was stolen from me. I thank you for allowing us to go on this journey together. I will note, and i hope everyone here will Pay Attention to, a film that was put together by ms. Hartigay and was released last night in evidence of what is identified already as remarkable response. I wish you luck as you continue to use that as the voice of some victims who have experienced this, and where we need to go to continue. Jennifer markowitz, i want to thank you for your work in this space. One of the important places we have made progress is with the Sexual Assault nurse examiners. That firstoes to experience post trauma. How somebody is engaged, and the importance of us, not only being able to collect the evidence, but the humiliating process of what could be a five to six hour procedure. We close with the idea that, having had the procedure, now you have been doubly victimized. What happens with that evidence . After going through all of that, we leave it sitting on a shelf. We have become part of the process. Michaeli want to thank for your dedication and your office. You are demonstrating there is interest on the part of Law Enforcement to do this right. Most offices want to do what is right for the victims. Some things are just issues of resources. Sometimes it is not an appreciation. How tell us what we we can do this better. I want to thank this remarkably experienced panel that will bring broad perspective. I thank my colleagues were colleagues for putting this issue front and center. It cannot be more timely. Ms. Hartigay, i hope you will allow us to continue to press forward, not just from this hearing, but collectively. Thank you, i yield back. Representative speier. Ms. Speier mr. Chairman, thank you. After this particularly traumatic week for all of us, it is soothing to me personally that we have a Bipartisan Group of members here focused on a very important issue. I want to thank my colleagues for being here, being part of this very important effort. I want to especially thank ms. Masters, a victims survivor who is here. It is very hard to have to recall that experience, over and over again. Ms. Hartigay, if it were not for you, Joyful Foundation would not be here. I am evidence would not have been filmed. We are deeply grateful for your longterm commitment to this issue. I look around this room, and there are mostly women here. We know the statistics that one in four women are probably going to be sexually assaulted in their lives. If we look at your faces, we know that some of you have. I wish we would have as many men in this room as we have women in this room, because this issue will not be fully addressed until we have a complete understanding by both sexes of what really goes on. Over 30 years ago, i was then a county supervisor and one of the deputy das came in to meet with me and said, we are having a terrible time getting convictions on rape cases. I said, tell me what the problem is. One problem was that there was not a comprehensive investigation done, and an actual evaluation of the victim when they came into the emergency room. There was an issue around the chain of custody of the evidence. So, that started my effort to try and address the issue. The conviction rate went way up. When there is a commitment by people to do the right thing, we can do the right thing. There is no clearer demonstration of our countrys lack of regard for Sexual Assault survivors, then ignoring the backlog of Sexual Assault cases. We would never, ever let the dna in a murder case sit on a shelf. And yet, it is commonplace to let the dna of Sexual Assault victims sit on the shelf. The backlog of kits, the bureaucratic discrimination against survivors, and the lack of sufficient Sexual Assault teams and Sexual Assault nurse examiners is an injustice committed against women because they are women. And we must refuse to let this injustice stand. I yield back. Thank you. I now recognize ms. Hartigay for her Opening Statement. Ms. Hartigay good morning, thank you for your heartfelt comments and passions for this work. I am Mariska Hargitay, and im speaking to you today as the founder of the foundation. The joyful heart foundation. I want to thank you for making this the topic of your first briefing. By elevating this issue, youre sending a powerful message to survivals of Sexual Assault, that their cases matter. They matter. Youre demonstrating to lawenforcement and prosecutors that we must work to do everything we can still hold offenders accountable and keep our communities safe. You have my full statement on record, so i would like to use my time today to give more perspective on how far we have, have come in addressing the untested rape kit backlog. In 2014, congress created the Sexual AssaultKit Initiative to provide jurisdictions with