By a 52-1 vote, the Georgia Senate passed House Bill 711, which will give prosecutors more tools to hold batterers accountable, while also protecting the communications between domestic violence and sexual assault program advocates and the victims they serve. The bill now moves on to Governor Deal for his signature.
If signed into law, House Bill 711 will take effect January 1, 2013.
House Bill 711 had the overwhelming support of many legislators, most notably House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, the primary sponsor of the bill. Please click here to see how your Senator voted and here to see how your Representative voted, and then take time to send an email or make a short phone call thanking them for their support! You can find their contact information at http://gcadv.org/what-we-do/public-policy/find-your-state-legislators/
Many thanks to the advocates, prosecutors, and allies across the state who contacted their legislators to urge passage of this bill! Without your calls, emails, visits, and committee testimony on this bill, we would not have this important victory for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault!
