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Delegate McComas urges recognition of coercive control in protective orders; survivors and advocates testify
Summary
At a March 13 House Judiciary Committee hearing, Delegate McComas and survivors urged lawmakers to add coercive-control language to Maryland protective-order law to allow courts to recognize patterns of abuse beyond physical violence; the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence expressed concern that the language could be misused and asked for broader review and careful drafting.
Delegate McComas presented House Bill 15‑86 to the House Judiciary Committee on March 13, asking lawmakers to expand Maryland’s protective‑order law to include coercive control and to provide courts with examples to recognize nonphysical patterns of abuse.
"Coercive control robs the victim of their power to make decisions," McComas told the committee, citing California’s statute as a model and noting nine states have already codified coercive‑control language in protective‑order or family law provisions. She told the committee the bill gives judges clearer grounds to grant relief when emotional abuse, isolation, intimidation or economic control leave…
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