Two bills dealing with protection orders continue to advance in the Legislature.
HB 1149, sponsored Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D–Tacoma), removes the requirement that a petitioner allege or prove reasonable fear of future dangerous acts by the respondent before a court may grant a petition for a sexual assault protection order.
HB 1149 passed the House 81-14. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on March 14.
SB 5027 authorizes the court to enter an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) against a person under the age of eighteen years and requires notice to the person's parent or guardian of the legal obligation to safely secure any firearms. Additionally, the bill allows a restrained party under the age of eighteen to petition the court to seal from public view court records relating to an ERPO proceeding.
SB 5027 was amended on the Senate floor to authorize the warrantless arrest by law enforcement of a person the officer believes has violated an ERPO. The floor amendment also removed language that would have reduced the number of violations of an ERPO necessary to amount to a felony from two to one.
The bill passed the Senate 43-5 and is now in the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee awaiting a hearing.
Dates to remember
HB 1149 is scheduled for a committee vote in the Senate Law & Justice Committee at 10 am on Thursday, March 21.