Policy Priorities
If you are interested in supporting any of the pieces of legislation endorsed by YWCA Dayton, follow the links below each bill, which take you to its official legislative website. There, you can learn the status of the bill and determine who you can contact to voice your support.
Active Legislation
This bill intends to close a loophole in Ohio domestic violence law by allowing victims of dating violence to obtain civil protective orders against their abuser.
Why does YWCA Dayton support it? Currently Ohio is one of only two States to not offer specific legal options for victims of dating violence, such as protection orders. Expanding protection orders to those in dating relationships makes it easier to prove ongoing abusive behaviors and expands resources for those who experience dating violence, often young women between 18-24 years old.
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This legislation aims to amend the Ohio revised code to prohibit a person convicted of domestic violence or assault of a family member, or a person subject to certain protection orders, from having a firearm, and to establish a procedure for surrendering all firearms in that person’s possession.
Why does YWCA Dayton support it? 26 states and Washington DC already have laws that prohibit people who have either been convicted of domestic violence or are subject to a domestic-violence restraining orders from owning firearms. The laws passed by those states have reduced gun violence against women, as the presence of a gun in a situation of intimate-partner violence makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed.
Archived Legislation
This bill aims to amend the Ohio revised code to specify that a person does not need to be formally served with a protection order or consent agreement to be convicted of violating the order. In order to prosecute someone under this law, the prosecution must prove that the individual had actual notice of the order or agreement and recklessly violated it.
Why does YWCA Dayton support it? This piece of legislation will arm victims of domestic violence with protection orders on issuance, and empower them to formally notify their perpetrators of the order if they are approached, rather than having to rely on the state.
Update 6/28/17: SB 7 was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich!
Marsy’s Law is a proposed constitutional amendment which, if passed, would replace the 1994 Ohio Victims’ Rights Amendment with language that would expand the existing rights and establish new rights for victims of crime and their loved ones.
Why does YWCA Dayton support it? More than 300 elected officials, advocacy groups and others public supporters of Marsy’s Law for Ohio believe that the law would prevent the system from re-victimizing survivors of violent crime or their families. By notifying survivors in the case their abusers are released, and recognizing their right to participate in every step of the legal process, Marsy’s law will keep women and girls safe and empower them to be active participants in their own protection.
Update 11/7/17: Issue 1 passed!