Domestic Violence - PASSED

Bills supported by WLC
    - 534/SB 329 - Domestic Violence - Protective Order - Extension allows a court to extend a protective order for up to two years if the respondent commits a subsequent act of abuse while the protective order is still in effect.
    - 1382/SB 554 - Rental Housing - Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault provides protections for victims regarding their landlord/tenant relationships. The law provides that if the victim/tenant has obtained a final protective order or peace order, the victim may terminate the lease in order to relocate; the landlord must change the locks upon request of the victim at the victim's expense, and creates a rebuttable presumption that the victim is not in breach of the lease if the landlord is attempting to evict the victim for the behavior of the abuser.
    - 1149/SB 935 - Denial or Dismissal of Peace Order or Protective Order Petition - Shielding of Records allows a respondent in a protective order or peace order case that has been dismissed or denied to request the court to remove from judicary case search and other public access all records relating to the proceeding. Domestic violence advocates, judges and law enforcement officals would have access to the shielded records.  Although the Women's Law Center opposed the expungement of domestic violence records, this final version of this bill included important protections for victims.
    - 661 - Arrest - Violation of Protective Order provides that an officer shall arrest with or without a warrant for a violation of a protective order.
    - 905/SB 22 - Criminal Law - Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying or Transporting Firearms - Exception establishes an exception to the prohibition against transporting a firearm for a respondent who is surrendering a weapon.
    - 60/SB 618 - Criminal Procedure - Violation by Child Sexual Offender of Pretrial and Posttrial Release No Contact Order ("Alexis's Law") allows the police to make a warrantless arrest if they have probable cause to believe the person has violated a no contact order in a crime against a minor.
    - 665- Prince George's County - Domestic Violence - GPS Tracking System Pilot Program for Offenders and HB 1336- Washington County - Domestic Violence - GPS Tracking System Pilot Program for Offenders authorize pilot projects in Prince George's and Washington Counties that will monitor domestic violence criminal offenders using GPS tracking systems.
    - 625 - Domestic Violence - Domestic Violence Central Repository requires the creation of a Domestic Violence Central Repository to store civil domestic violence orders.