1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to state government; designating the month of October as Violence Against 
1.3 	Women Awareness and Prevention Month; proposing coding for new law in 
1.4 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 10.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [10.5815] VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AWARENESS AND 
1.7 	PREVENTION MONTH.
1.8 	The month of October is designated as Violence Against Women Awareness and 
1.9 	Prevention Month in recognition of the state's desire to combat violence against women. 
1.10 	Violence against women is any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to 
1.11 	result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats 
1.12 	of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or 
1.13 	private life. The state recognizes that the threat of violence dramatically affects the lives of 
1.14 	women living under the threat and denies women their unalienable rights to liberty and the 
1.15 	pursuit of happiness to the same extent these rights are available to men. To protect individual 
1.16 	rights and promote a culture of lawfulness that will help prevent violence against women, 
1.17 	the state should implement prevention measures and should take a role in educating the 
1.18 	public about violence against women. The governor may promote and encourage the 
1.19 	observance of Violence Against Women Awareness and Prevention Month to educate the 
1.20 	public and help prevent violence against women.

1.21 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.