Jackson Jambalaya

Senator Will Longwitz issued the following statement after two bills on domestic violence passed. Just remember, folks, you can beat your wife and get half the fine you can get if you beat your dog.

Domestic Violence Prevention Bill Passes Senate Committee;
Would Make Felony Domestic Violence Prosecution Easier, Keep Victims Safe

JACKSON - The Mississippi Senate Judiciary Committee "B"  today passed a bill to improve the procedure for prosecuting cases of felony domestic abuse.

"I am grateful to the committee members and to Chairman Bryan for their support.  I hope my Senate colleagues will agree with me that we should pass this law to give law enforcement another tool to keep abuse victims safe," said the bill's author, Sen. Will Longwitz (R-Madison).

Current law mandates that law enforcement officers make an arrest and file an officer affidavit where they find probable cause for that misdemeanor, or "simple," domestic violence has occurred.  The bill would also make arrest and officer affidavit mandatory for cases of felony, or "aggravated," domestic violence.  The goal of these laws is to separate the abuser from the victim, and to create an affidavit whether the victim is willing to file one or not.

Longwitz said the measure is long overdue.  "When the original misdemeanor law was passed, the felony language was left out, and nobody can explain why.  Adding the felony language is just common sense.  It means that the worst cases can be prosecuted, and victims can get the protection they need."  

Mary Ann Kirby is a spokesperson for Heather's T.R.E.E., an organization that supports victims of domestic violence and advocates for changes in the law to protect victims.  According to Kirby, "This bill is an important step in fighting domestic violence and keeping victims safe from their abusers.  Our organization exists to help fight domestic violence and keep victims safe from their abusers.  This bill will help get more prosecutions, will protect women and will get victims the assistance they need.  We are grateful to the Senate and to Sen. Longwitz for their attention to this issue that affects so many lives."

Madison and Rankin County District Attorney Michael Guest praised the legislature for passing the bill:  "I'm pleased to hear that we may get a stronger procedure for felony domestic violence when there is probable cause.  These are the most serious cases of abuse, and law enforcement needs all the tools we can get to prosecute them and protect victims."

In addition, another domestic violence bill authored by Longwitz, SB 2626, passed the same committee today.  This bill increases the possible penalty for domestic violence assaults, so that the penalty for abusing a human is now greater than the penalty for abusing an animal.

The bills will now move to the Senate calendar for consideration by the full body.

SB 2629 can be found here:  http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2014/pdf/history/SB/SB2629.xml

SB 2626 can be found here:  http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2014/pdf/history/SB/SB2626.xml