New law protects victims of abuse with alerts
OLYMPIA – Victims of domestic violence or abuse can receive real-time alerts of when their abuser is near, under a bill signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday. The bill was first introduced three years ago.
Victims with protection orders would have access to technology notifying them when their abuser is at or near a location they are required by law to stay away from, according to the bill.
The final version of the bill is also known as the Tiffany Hill Act, after a Vancouver mother who was fatally shot in November by her estranged husband while picking her children up from school.
“Tiffany Hill did everything she could to avoid contact with the person who would ultimately take her life,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, in a news release.
This technology can be combined with court-mandated monitoring of abusers to create a protection zone around the victim that would move with them, she said.
Other bills signed Thursday include:
SB 6442 prohibits the Department of Corrections from transferring prisoners to out-of-state private prisons. The bill exempts state work-release centers, nonprofit community-based detention facilities and tribal entities.
SB 6288 creates the first office in the nation to collect data and provide money for prevention programs dedicated to reducing firearm violence. It will be within the Department of Commerce.
SB 6561 creates an undocumented student support loan program to give undocumented students who don’t qualify for federal loans access to low-interest loans.
HB 2513 prohibits colleges and universities from withholding official transcripts or registration if a student owes money. The bill exempts debt related to tuition or room-and-board fees.
HB 2811 requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to work with a state nonprofit to integrate environmental and natural resource based learning with English, science and math curriculum.
HB 2660 will ensure all students in eighth grade or below receive free lunch in schools where at least 62.5% of students are eligible for free school meals.