Committee unanimously backs lifetime injunctions for aggravated harassment tied to domestic violence
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Summary
SB 12‑11 would allow victims to request lifetime injunctions when aggravated harassment involves domestic violence. Survivor advocates testified about victims forced to repeatedly renew orders; the committee returned the bill with a unanimous 9–0 recommendation.
The Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended SB 12‑11, which adds felony aggravated harassment involving domestic violence to the list of offenses for which a victim may request a lifetime injunction.
Corey Borgenon, executive director of Amberley's Place Family Advocacy Center in Yuma, described a case of a survivor who repeatedly had to renew protection orders and urged lawmakers to support a lifetime injunction option. "This bill doesn't violate anybody's constitutional rights. It's not a bill that requires any funding. It's simply closes a gap," Borgenon said, asking members to vote in favor so survivors need not continually face their abusers in court.
Representatives of the Arizona Coalition to End Domestic Violence also supported the bill, saying lifetime injunctions would spare victims repeated hearings and potential retraumatization. Pamela Hicks, representing Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, said she took no position on the bill itself but opposed a proposed amendment to widen coverage to all domestic‑violence offenses as potentially sweeping in conduct that may not warrant lifetime injunctions.
The committee voted 9–0 to recommend SB 12‑11 and adjourned.
Why it matters: The bill creates an option for lifetime protection in cases where aggravated harassment is tied to domestic violence, an outcome proponents say better protects victims from repeated court appearances and continued harm.