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Bill would add $100 marriage‑license fee to fund domestic violence co‑responder grants; advocates and providers outline benefits and concerns
Summary
Staff briefed HB 1498, which would add a $100 marriage‑license surcharge to fund a domestic violence co‑responder grant program; proponents described growing demand and positive outcomes from existing responder programs, while coalition testimony urged caution given statewide funding declines for domestic violence services.
Staff briefed House Bill 1498, which would add a $100 fee to marriage licenses to create an appropriated Domestic Violence Co‑Responder Account. The account would fund a competitive grant program administered by the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy at the Department of Commerce to establish domestic violence co‑responder programs that send victim advocates alongside law enforcement to domestic violence incidents.
Jessica Van Horn, committee staff, described the existing fee framework for marriage licenses and recorded documents and noted county variations in current license costs (ranging roughly $36 to $72 depending on county). HB 1498 would increase the license fee by $100, raising total costs to approximately $136 to $172 per license depending on county fee additions. Based…
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