House Democrats Reaffirm Support For Domestic Violence Survivors, Recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Munira Abdullahi (D-Columbus), chair of the Ohio Democratic Women's Legislative Caucus, today honored Domestic Violence Awareness Month by expressing the continued support the House Democratic Caucus has for survivors and victims of domestic violence, reaffirming their dedication to finding legislative solutions to this epidemic.

"Experts state that one in three women and one in four men will experience violence from a romantic partner in their lifetime. These individuals are our neighbors, families, and friends. In any case, Domestic violence victims deserve the vital support and care needed to protect them from further harm. As chair of the Women's Caucus, I am incredibly proud of the work presented by my colleagues on this very subject and hope that Ohio can do more collectively to contribute to preventative measures to eliminate the possibility of this dark reality for our loved ones," said Rep. Munira.

To curb this crisis, House Democrats have introduced a slate of legislation aimed at prevention and support:

• HB 124 (Miranda, Galonski)- Removes the time limit for criminal prosecutions of rape and civil actions brought by the victims of rape. The bill also lengthens the time limit for civil actions brought by victims of childhood sexual abuse outside rape.
• HB 143 (Grim) - Allows tenants who are victims of certain crimes to terminate their rental agreement early or change the locks on their rental agreement early or change the locks on their premises without penalty. The act provides other protections for victims like income tax credit and privacy protection.
• HB 161 (Miranda, Hillyer) - Eliminate exceptions to certain sex offenses that formerly applied if the victim was the spouse of the offender. The bill also expands the proceedings in which a person may testify against the person's spouse to include prosecutions for any of the sex offenses modified by the act.
• HB 417 (Munira, Grim)- Prohibits people convicted of or charged with first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence from possessing firearms or dangerous ordnance.
• HB 486 (Brent, Carruthers) - Enact Aisha's Law to expand the offense of "aggravated murder" to also prohibit, in addition to the currently prohibited conduct, purposely causing the death of another under certain domestic violence circumstances.

"Only one of these bills introduced this General Assembly to combat Domestic Violence, a handful of them bipartisan, has received a vote in the House. The majority of them haven't even been given consideration by a committee. This is why I will be voting 'YES' on Issue 1. By ending the extremists' gerrymandered grip on power, we will once again have more equal, fairer representation at the Statehouse that will lead to more commonsense solutions to the real issues facing Ohioans," said Rep. Munira.

If you or someone you know needs help, visit odvn.org/find-help and share the hotline number 800.799.SAFE (7233).