Raising awareness and encouraging the prevention of stalking by designating January 2025 as "National Stalking Awareness Month".
H.Res. 99 is a nonbinding House resolution that designates January 2025 as “National Stalking Awareness Month.” The resolution is primarily educational and commemorative: it recites findings about the prevalence, harms, and underreporting of stalking, including its links to intimate partner violence, technology-facilitated abuse, and risks faced by young adults, college students, and people with disabilities. It also highlights the role of victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, campuses, nonprofits, and private-sector entities in responding to stalking and supporting victims.
The resolution does not create new criminal penalties or direct changes to federal or state stalking statutes. Instead, it calls on policymakers, criminal justice officials, victim service agencies, higher education institutions, nonprofits, businesses, and the media to increase awareness, improve responses, and promote prevention during the designated month. Its practical effect is symbolic and advocacy-oriented, aimed at public education and coordination rather than legal reform.
Because H.Res. 99 is a House resolution, it does not amend state law or federal criminal law and does not impose enforceable duties on any person or agency. Its impact is limited to formally recognizing January 2025 as National Stalking Awareness Month and encouraging awareness campaigns, victim support, and stronger institutional responses to stalking, including online and technology-facilitated stalking. The resolution references existing stalking laws across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it does not alter those laws.
The available context suggests broad support and a generally sympathetic tone toward the resolution’s goals. The bill is framed around victim protection, public awareness, and prevention, with bipartisan sponsorship from Rep. Fitzpatrick and Rep. Dingell. There are no recorded votes or committee objections in the provided material, and the resolution’s findings emphasize the seriousness of stalking and the need for better services and awareness. Overall, the sentiment is supportive and noncontroversial.
No specific points of contention appear in the provided bill text, voting history, or committee materials. The resolution is largely consensus-oriented, but its findings imply policy concerns that may draw attention in broader debates: the adequacy of criminal justice responses, the availability of victim services, campus responses to stalking, and the growing problem of technology-facilitated stalking. Any disagreement would likely center on implementation priorities or resource allocation rather than the designation of an awareness month itself.