Hello everyone,
Evelyn here,
Below are two exerts from the Attorney General's newsletter News Briefs –AG News. The first deals with a recent law to strengthen protection for those in domestic violence shelters and the second deals a new bill that makes it a crime give false information to law in enforcement investigators. At the end, I have went out on the limb and added two comments of my own. However, there are probably people who know me that might believe I live on that perpetual limb, so adding my voice to this would not seem strange to them.
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March 24, 2006 - Volume 4, Issue 12:
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Safe Shelter - The House Future of Florida’s Families Committee
approved HB 761 on March 22. This bill enhances penalties for those
who trespass or enter dwellings that are domestic violence shelters.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Carroll and co-sponsored by
Rep. Aaron Bean.
False Witness - The House Criminal Justice Committee approved HB 919
on March 22. This bill would make it a crime to provide false
information to investigators looking into felonies or missing persons
and is sponsored by Rep. Michael Grant and Rep. Charles Dean.
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I have always been of the opinion that these two laws should have been in place decades ago.
Looking at this brief on HB 761, I believe that the laws governing neighborhood disputes that results in harassment and/or acts of violence should be strengthen to protect the victim. Moreover, I believe that there should be stronger in-depth investigations into
perpetrator(s) named in the dispute to protect the victim(s) from further and/or future harm reporting. Too often, the opposite is true.
As for HB 919, I believe that this law could be expanded make it a crime for to a group of citizens to knowingly provide false information to a reporting and/or patrolling officer who answers a call about a illegal drug sell in a neighborhood, theft of mail, willful destruction of private property, and illegal trespassing and entering of private dwellings.
Evelyn out.
