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Committee approves access to domestic violence and sexual-assault protection orders for law enforcement
Summary
The committee amended and unanimously recommended Senate Bill 22-89 to allow law enforcement inspection of domestic violence protection orders and added sexual-assault restraining orders to the list of records accessible through the court records system (Odyssey).
The House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved an amended version of Senate Bill 22-89 to clarify law enforcement access to court records related to protection orders. The committee voted 11–0 to adopt the amendment and then 11–0 to give the bill a "do pass" recommendation as amended.
The amendment adds sexual-assault restraining orders to the types of records that law enforcement may inspect and changes wording about disclosure to match existing language used elsewhere in law. "We are fine with adding the sexual-assault restraining orders," a judicial branch representative identified in committee testimony said after reviewing the proposed insertion. The court representative recommended replacing a phrase that required records to "be disclosed and provided upon request" with language commonly used in code: that the record "is open to inspection by an office of a law enforcement officer." The change is intended to authorize law enforcement to view those records through Odyssey, the court records system.
Committee members discussed a practical problem described in testimony: a short lag between a judge signing a temporary protection order and the order’s availability in law enforcement databases. "My understanding is ... they are looking for access during that small gap in timing," the court representative said, describing the delay between entry and when the order is propagated to BCI and other law enforcement systems.
Representative Holverson moved the amendment, and Representative Wolfe seconded it. The amendment passed 11–0. Representative White moved that the committee give Senate Bill 22-89 a do-pass recommendation as amended; Representative Wolff seconded. The committee approved the bill as amended by voice and roll call vote, 11–0, and named Representative Wolff as bill carrier.
Committee members said the change is targeted at verification and response: enabling officers who are called to a scene to confirm whether a protection or sexual-assault restraining order exists without waiting for separate service or database propagation. The committee removed redundant language in the bill that repeated the phrase "law enforcement officer."
No concerns were recorded about broadening access to the specified order types, and witnesses from victim-service groups provided written input supporting the amendment.
