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Panel hears bill to penalize assaults against family members in presence of children
Summary
House Bill 191 would create a misdemeanor for committing specified domestic assault offenses in the presence of a child; proponents including a domestic‑violence prosecutor and victim‑service groups argued it protects children from trauma, while witnesses and members discussed predominant‑aggressor rules, penalties and prosecution practicalities.
Representative Curtis Schomer presented HB 191, which would add a subsection to Montana’s Endangering the Welfare of Children statute to penalize a person convicted of assaulting a family member in the presence of a child. Schomer and supporting witnesses emphasized the harms children suffer when they witness domestic violence and urged the committee to pass a statute that would hold perpetrators accountable and expand access to victim services.
Ben Halverson, a domestic‑violence prosecutor from Billings,…
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