The proposed bill would amend current statutes regarding orders of protection by updating the terminology and clarifying the roles of various parties involved. Specifically, it would replace the term "house" with "residence" to ensure consistency in language throughout the statute. Additionally, the bill would prohibit private process servers from serving orders of protection that grant exclusive possession of the residence, thereby limiting this responsibility to peace officers or correctional officers acting in their official capacity.

Furthermore, the bill would clarify that an order of protection issued by a lower court remains valid even if there is a pending action for maternity, paternity, annulment, legal separation, or dissolution of marriage in a higher court. It would also specify that the superior court has exclusive jurisdiction over such cases, while allowing municipal or justice courts to hold hearings on ex parte orders of protection if requested before receiving notice of the pending superior court action. Overall, these changes aim to streamline the process and enhance the clarity of legal proceedings related to orders of protection.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 13-3602
House Engrossed Version: 13-3602