SPONSOR: Kelley
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Crime and Public Safety by a vote of 17 to 0. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules-Legislative by a vote of 12 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HBs 3012, 2997 & 3058.
This bill creates "Adriaunna's and BreAnna's Law", which would require persistent domestic violence offenders, defined in the bill, convicted after January 1, 2027, to be placed on the persistent domestic violence offender registry, created within the Department of Public Safety and maintained by the State Highway Patrol. The registry will be made available for public inquiry on the internet. The registry available for public inquiry will not include an offender's address, Social Security Number, driver's license number, or any other State or Federal identification number. The bill specifies the conditions that make certain offenders eligible to be placed on the registry, the procedures for ensuring an offender is placed on the registry, and the procedures and time frames for an offender to be removed from the registry. An offender who fails to register will be subject to a civil fine according to the terms specified in the bill.
In addition to any other punishment imposed for a conviction of a domestic violence offense, an offender required to register under the provisions of this bill will also be assessed a registration fee of $150, $50 of which will be retained for the administration of the registry and $100 of which will be remitted to the "Domestic Violence Prevention Fund", established in this bill. Moneys in the Fund will be used solely to fund and administer grants under the domestic violence prevention program, established in the bill. Grants will be awarded to eligible entities to fund domestic violence prevention and intervention services.
The provisions of this bill sunset six years after the effective date. The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that the bill aims to create a persistent domestic violence offender registry. Domestic violences is not a one-time occurrence; it’s something that happens over time and it is often escalated. Adriaunna was a victim who was 12 years old and her abuser was a habitual domestic violence offender. Statistically, one in three women and one in four men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. This registry will allow law enforcement to monitor persistent domestic violence offenders. Privacy of offenders will be respected but there will be helpful information to use in saving lives. BreAnna Johnson was from Wentzville and she was pregnant with twins. Her abuser shot her and he was a repeat abuser who took advantage when she was trying to leave him. Access to information is a key component to public safety. This is for offenders who have pled or have been found guilty of domestic violence offenses.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Kelley; and Arnie Dienoff.
OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: