Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Domestic Violence topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utah House approves domestic-violence amendments and approves shelter appropriation
Summary
The House adopted amendments to a domestic-violence bill and passed an appropriation to fund ongoing shelter operations across multiple counties; sponsors warned of possible effects on federal funding and members debated whether the appropriation duplicated budgeted services.
The Utah House of Representatives amended and passed legislation addressing domestic violence and approved a separate appropriation to fund domestic-violence shelters across the state on Feb. 22, 1995.
Lawmakers adopted a set of amendments to First Substitute House Bill 3-14 that add mens rea language and clarify elements of several provisions. A representative moving the changes described them as technical edits intended to ensure intent is proven for certain offenses and to tighten language on violations of protective orders. Members voted to adopt the amendment by voice vote and then resumed debate on the bill's merits.
Sponsor and backers stressed the human and fiscal stakes of the issue. Representative (Speaker 11), who led floor explanation and summation, warned lawmakers that changes could affect federal grant eligibility and cited national cost figures: "The annual cost of domestic violence in The United States is estimated at $60,000,000,000 in medical costs alone." Supporters including prosecutors and members of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice said the amendments addressed prior concerns and improved the bill.
Separately, the House considered and passed House Bill 3-63, an appropriation intended to fund ongoing operations at domestic-violence shelters in multiple counties, including Davis, Summit, Iron, Washington, Grand, Sanpete, Millard, Emery and Salt Lake counties. Representative Evans (the bill sponsor) said the request funds operations rather than construction and read testimony from a former shelter resident, quoting a Salt Lake Tribune passage: "My children and I may not be alive today if it wasn't for the shelter," to illustrate the potential life-or-death impact of shelter operations.
Members asked whether the appropriation duplicated other budgeted domestic-violence services. Sponsors and other members told the House that some related funding lines were not included as explicit maintenance-and-operation items in the Human Services subcommittee and that this appropriation was intended to restore or support services that had been reduced or shifted in prior budgets. Several social workers and a former victim addressed the body in support.
Both the amended domestic-violence bill and the shelter appropriation passed the House and were transmitted to the Senate for further consideration. The House record shows the bills cleared with recorded votes; the clerk announced passage and noted the items will proceed to the Senate.
Next steps: both measures will be considered by the Senate; sponsors and members on the House floor indicated concerns about federal-funding interactions will be followed up during the committee and conference process.
