SUPPORTING CASA

On 2025-05-08, Representative Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN-1) delivered a floor speech titled "SUPPORTING CASA" in the House.

SUPPORTING CASA

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 77 (Thursday, May 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 77 (Thursday, May 8, 2025)] [House] [Page H1926] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1130 SUPPORTING CASA (Mr. MRVAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. MRVAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Court-Appointed Special Advocates program, also known as the CASA program, through the Department of Justice. As a prior township trustee in northwest Indiana, I was involved in a program that went into the schools to assist children who experienced abuse and sexual harm. For survivors, having someone with CASA in their corner became their lifeline through that painful experience. A family friend became a survivor at just 4 years old. Today, as a college student, she volunteers for CASA, driven by the advocates who once stood by her. She is proof that hope creates change. She asked me to fight. It is a painful truth that the administration has moved to eliminate funding for this critical program. As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Justice, I believe that our Nation's values and policies are shown by how we direct funds. Turning our backs on children survivors in order to justify massive tax cuts for the wealthy is both shameful and bad policy. Madam Speaker, I stand ready to work with all of my colleagues to ensure that children and survivors in northwest Indiana and across our Nation have access to resources and trusted advocates they need to lead their best lives. ____________________