Senate committee hears sheriffs and advocates report domestic-violence upticks, data gaps and calls for steady funding

On Sept. 29 in Baton Rouge, the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children heard from law-enforcement leaders and the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence about what witnesses described as an increase in domestic violence reports and persistent gaps in statewide data and victim-services funding.

Mariah Wineske, executive director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, told the committee that the 2023 Louisiana Violence Experiences Survey (LAVEX) found 55 percent of Louisiana adult women have experienced domestic abuse in their lifetime and that 1 in 100 adults was threatened with a firearm in the past year. "These numbers show a depth and severity to our state's domestic violence problem," Wineske said (LCADV presentation, SEG 1216–1224).

Why it matters: Advocates said incomplete data and unstable funding make it hard to measure outcomes and plan services. Wineske told senators the state made a landmark one-time investment in 2023 that expanded shelter capacity and outreach but that federal cuts and contract delays undercut those gains.

Key facts presented

- State funding and program outcomes: Wineske said state funding now provides about $7,000,000 annually to domestic-violence programs; the coalition's 2023 request to the legislature had been $15,000,000. "That state investment resulted in five new physical shelters, seven expansions, and more outreach offices," Wineske said (LCADV presentation, SEG 1523–1533; SEG 1771–1779).

- Service volume: The coalition reported that 16 domestic-violence organizations statewide served more than 15,000 survivors last year, answered over 20,000 crisis hotline calls and provided about 81,000 shelter bed nights.

- Unmet need: LCADV tracked unmet shelter requests at 1,352 in the last 12 months—lower than historical highs but still a significant shortfall.

- Federal funding cuts: Wineske said VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) funding to Louisiana experienced a 42% reduction, and domestic-violence shelters alone lost about $4 million over five years because of changes to the Crime Victims Fund.

What law enforcement said

Representatives of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association told the committee they have seen local "upticks" in domestic-violence reports and crimes against children, but cautioned statewide statistics are unreliable because local agencies use different systems and coding practices. The Sheriffs Association recommended the committee invite the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and OTS to discuss standardizing reporting and improving the CJIS-related systems used to aggregate statewide data (Sheriffs presentation, SEG 091–101; SEG 235–247).

State Police scope and referrals

Capt. Joe Patu of the Louisiana State Police outlined the Special Victims Unit's role in child exploitation and human-trafficking investigations and noted that many illicit massage-parlor complaints historically were handled as prostitution but increasingly are being treated as trafficking investigations when appropriate (State Police presentation, SEG 870–905; SEG 1100–1114).

Advocacy recommendations

Wineske and other advocates asked the legislature to:

- Provide stable, recurring state funding for victim services rather than one-time appropriations (LCADV request: recurring funding to stabilize shelter operations and outreach; SEG 1740–1752). - Consider statutory changes requiring pre-bond lethality and recidivism risk assessments in domestic-violence arrests and broader use of validated assessment tools. - Require victim notification when criminal protective orders are issued and waive certified-copy fees and certain court costs that block survivors from accessing paperwork they need to obtain housing and other services.

Follow-up and next steps

Committee members asked staff to invite the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement to the next meeting to explain statewide data collection and to continue the conversation with sheriffs and advocacy groups. The chair also instructed staff to place domestic-violence issues first on the committee's next agenda and to build a fresh committee notification list after some committee data were lost (procedural notes, SEG 356–374; SEG 2158–2165).

Sources and provenance: LCADV presentation and Q&A, Sheriffs Association testimony and State Police briefing (topic spans SEG 091–SEG 1819). The committee recessed to reconvene later for child-abuse and trafficking items.

What the committee did next: The committee asked staff to request LCLE attendance at the next meeting, planned to follow up with the Department of Children and Family Services on contract delays and flagged the stability of Justice Reinvestment funding for future budget consideration.