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Committee refines domestic-violence fee and continuance rules after contested testimony
Summary
The committee adopted amendments to HB306 and HB366 requiring perpetrators to pay reasonable attorney, evaluation and expert fees in domestic abuse proceedings and limiting continuances for initial protective-order hearings while including protections when defendants are not served. Advocates and judges debated potential barriers to victims and practical notice problems.
Representative Edmonson and Justice Hughes led work on two related bills addressing fees and continuances in domestic-abuse protective-order proceedings.
On HB306 the committee agreed to a committee-originated amendment restoring fee-shifting language to require a perpetrator to pay a "reasonable attorney's fee" and to add "court-approved evaluation fees and expert witness fees" incurred in maintaining or defending domestic-abuse cases. Justice Hughes and family-court practitioners said the amendment is intended to allow judges to…
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