Chairperson Humphries opened the Hearing on HB2479.

Jason Thompson, Office of Revisor of Statutes, presented the Bill Brief.  (Attachment 14)

Mr. Thompson stood for questions.

Proponents:

Senator Doug Shane, 37th District, testified that this bill would provide the ability for a judge to give an extra layer of protection and certainty for victims of domestic violence crimes.  (Attachment 15)

Representative John Resman, 121st District, testified that this bill may allow a magistrate to order GPS electric monitoring under certain conditions with victim notification. The victim must agree to participate and have a right to refuse participation. After speaking with a company that monitors some GPS electronic monitoring devices, he learned that an exclusion zone can also be set to alert when a victim travels out of the area, as well as the location of the offender. This bill would help give victims a warning of time to help protect themselves.  (Attachment 16)

Braden Moore, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police; Kansas Sheriffs Association; President of Kansas Peace Officers Association, shared a personal experience of a death related to domestic violence victims. He also shared how this bill could indirectly provide safety to police officers.  (Attachment 17)

James Jordan, Certified Protection Professional, shared that his job includes providing advice and planning for safety at work for employees of his company who are experiencing intimate partner violence.  He referred to a law passed in Tennessee which gives us an example of how deaths could possibly have been averted if GPS monitoring devices had been in use. Victims are often concerned about their safety at home and at work, so considering the risks to victims, he asked the Committee to support this bill.  (Attachment 18)

Christina Harris, Legislative Advocate with No Victim's Voice Silent, testified that she has started this advocacy group to assist victims of abuse. She is advocating for the legislative change to help abuse victims. She offered two amendments, based on her personal experiences, which are included in her testimony.  (Attachment 19)

Elaina Keaton Crenshaw, Executive Director of Alliance Against Family Violence, testified that real-time victim notification is one of the most effective tools we have to break the cycle of fear which survivors live with. This tool is not about punishment before conviction. This is about prevention, information and time, giving survivors the minutes they need to protect themselves.  (Attachment 20)

Jamie Svatos, Private Citizen and Alliance Against Family Violence Executive Board member. She shared her personal experiences of domestic abuse.  She hopes that the passing of this bill would provide for stronger prosecution and more protection for victims.  (Attachment 21)

Proponents stood for questions.

The Chairperson drew attention to the Proponent Written Only testimonies:

Representative Linda Featherston, 16th District  (Attachment 22)

Michelle McCormick, Executive Director, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence  (Attachment 23)

Sheila Thompson, Private Citizen  (Attachment 24)

Adrianne Hartman, Private Citizen  (Attachment 25)

The Chairperson drew attention to the Neutral Written Only testimonies:

Jennifer Roth, Attorney at Law  (Attachment 26)

Chairperson Humphries closed the Hearing on HB2479.