SALT LAKE CITY — A major piece of legislation on domestic violence victim services has passed the Utah State Legislature.
Senate Bill 117, sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, passed the House of Representatives unanimously. The bill requires all police agencies in Utah to conduct what are called "lethality assessments." Those are a series of questions that determine whether someone in a domestic violence situation is at risk of being murdered. The bill also has increased tracking of domestic violence calls for police to know what they're responding to.
"We're going to keep working on it, but this is a good step," said Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, the House co-sponsor of the bill.
The bill has been supported by the families of some high-profile murder victims. Gabby Petito's family flew out to Utah to witness its passage in the Senate. In the gallery for the House vote was the family of Mandy Mayne, who was killed in a murder-suicide at a Taylorsville bus stop.
"This is a relief. It’s a giant step. Six months in the making," said Mayne's cousin, Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson. "I wish we didn’t have to be here, but I'm really, really happy we’ve made steps to hopefully protecting other victims of intimate partner violence in the future."
Beyond the bill, the legislature has approved $24 million in funding to expand domestic violence victim services across Utah.
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition:
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
