Brief Description: Establishing the domestic violence hope card study committee.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Senators Esser, Hargrove, Brandland, Johnson and Rasmussen).

Senate Committee on Judiciary
House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Law

Background: Domestic violence encompasses a wide range of acts committed by one partner against another in a relationship. It may occur in a variety of relationships: married, separated, divorced, dating, heterosexual, gay, or lesbian.

There are several types of protective orders, including restraining orders, no-contact orders, and antiharassment protection orders. In all protective orders, the person restrained may be prohibited from disturbing the peace of the other party, going onto the grounds or entering the home, workplace, or school of the other party, or daycare or school of any child. In addition, a protective order often restrains a person from knowingly coming within, or knowingly remaining within, a specified distance from a location.

Summary: The domestic violence hope card study committee is created. It is directed to review the practicality of requiring the statewide distribution of wallet-size cards to victims of domestic violence that document the existence and contents of a protection order and provide identifying information about the respondent, including a photograph. The wallet-size card will contain contact information regarding the courts, domestic violence services, and law enforcement.

The committee will review what information is currently statutorily required to be provided to victims of domestic violence and whether victims are currently receiving the information. The costs involved with the implementation of such a program will be studied, as well as how it could best be implemented statewide. The twelve members of the domestic violence hope card study committee are enumerated in the legislation and a committee report is required to be delivered to the Legislature by December 31, 2006.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      45   0
House      98   0   (House amended)
Senate      48   0   (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 7, 2006