Taking a stand against instances of
domestic violence in New York State United States .[1]
“The
legislation that passed would help bring peace of mind and added protection to
victims,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Additionally, these measures would crack
down on instances of domestic violence, hopefully preventing the violence from
ever happening in the first place.”
Assemblywoman Russell helped pass a
package of legislation that would:
·
provide notice on orders of protection affirming
that the protected party cannot be held to violate the order nor be arrested
for violating the order (A.6547-A);
·
prohibit housing discrimination against victims
of domestic violence by forbidding landlords and property sellers from denying
an individual the right to purchase, rent, lease or inhabit housing (A.5387);
·
prohibit employment discrimination against domestic
violence victims (A.898);
·
require hospitals to establish policies and
procedures regarding domestic violence, establish ongoing training programs on
domestic violence for staff and designate a hospital staff member to coordinate
services to victims (A.2562);
·
require orders of protection issued in family
court to be interpreted into the native language of the individuals involved (A.1084);
and
·
expose individuals or parties who fail to obey
or enforce an order of protection to joint liability for all non-economic
damages sought by a claimant after a fact-finding by a judge or jury (A.899).
Each year, roughly 450,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported in the state.[2] In 2011,
“It is
vital that we work to ensure that victims of domestic violence have a strong
support network and resources available to help them begin rebuilding some
semblance of a normal life,” Assemblywoman Russell concluded.
-30-