Rebecca LeBlanc

This bill would significantly impact survivors of intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, and domestic violence and there are many considerations/implications of this bill that must be carefully considered. 1. This bill would make it so that only survivors who have reported to law enforcement/criminal charges are enabled to get protection: as we know, there are many barriers to reporting that exist for survivors of violence. For example, immigration status/fears of deportation, past experiences with PD, instances where offenders know officers/where bias exists, fear of getting arrested due to false allegations on behalf of offender, escalated behaviors and increased safety concerns/retaliation from offender upon release, etc. There are many reasons why people do not report to law enforcement and it is important that survivors continue to be allowed to file orders without police reports or records present. 2. This bill would lessen the ability of local crisis centers to adequately safety plan and provide life saving services 3. The leading cause for homelessness amongst women and children is DV/ IPV. This is directly linked to abuse tactics related to finances, a tactic that is often overlooked and is not always able to be criminally charged without sufficient evidence. 4. This bill would put many survivors of violence at risk. I hope you take the time to review this message. Thank you for your hard work and all you do to represent Granite staters such as myself .