Senate Passes Cornyn Measure to Establish National Day to Remember Murder Victims

Press Release

Senate Passes Cornyn Measure to Establish National Day to Remember Murder Victims

The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's bipartisan resolution, S. Res. 326, to establish September 25 as a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. The measure, which passed late Tuesday, is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. The resolution was approved by the Judiciary Committee on October 4. The U.S. House passed a similar measure in May.

"It is important to honor and remember murder victims because the pain of losing a loved one through murder is so great," Cornyn said. "This day will help honor the memories of murder victims and recognize the impact on surviving family members."

This resolution builds on Sen. Cornyn's efforts put an end to murderabilia—the selling of tangible goods owned or created by convicted murderers. In May, Sen. Cornyn introduced the Stop the Sale of Murderabilia to Protect the Dignity of Crime Victims Act of 2007, S. 1528, to protect victims' rights and combat the exploitation of criminal activity. U.S. Reps. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., and Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., introduced House legislation similar to Sen. Cornyn's murderabilia bill last month.

Sen. Cornyn's office has worked closely this year with Andy Kahan, a longtime opponent of murderabilia sales and director of the Houston Mayor's Office Crime Victims Assistance Division. In Houston and Dallas this summer, Sen. Cornyn met with city and county officials, local law enforcement officials, and victims' rights and anti-crime organizations to discuss his efforts to combat murderabilia on the federal level, built on Kahan's work over the last several years.

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