Committee approves amendment to expand after-hours access to protective orders in assault cases

The Judiciary Committee on April 1 voted to find S.9, as amended by draft 1.2, favorable and to report the bill to the full chamber. The committee first voted to approve amendment draft 1.2 and then to find the bill as amended favorable; both motions were seconded and carried.

S.9 would expand after-hours access to requests for protective orders in cases involving assault. A committee member said the bill takes language that had appeared in a miscellaneous senate bill and consolidates it within S.9; the committee approved a technical first-section amendment and the consolidated language in section 2. During committee discussion, a member recounted that Judge Zonay, who testified earlier, had reached out after testimony to confirm that after-hours staff had received prior trauma-informed training. The member said that after-hours workers had taken a community training two years earlier led by Maureen Fox, director of mental health at DPS, and a more recent training with Judge David Funtag, a retired judge and national instructor on related matters. The member said those trainings included "trauma informed interactions." The committee member said that knowledge reassured them about the experience of people contacting after-hours staff.

Committee members expressed support for ensuring that people seeking protective orders outside regular hours would reach trained staff. The committee chair directed the clerk to forward the amended draft and vote record to legislative staff. Named members recorded voting yes during the roll call included Raul, Owen, Renell, Roseland, Harvey Malaik, Oliver, Patricia Flynn and Christie (the transcript lists these members as voting yes; other votes were recorded but not individually transcribed in the provided excerpt).

The committee's action sends the amended bill forward to the full chamber for further consideration.