Rep. Katie Edwards Files Bill to Protect Domestic Violence Victims

Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, filed legislation Thursday that would include domestic violence advocacy organizations and domestic violence referral service organizations in public records exemptions.

HB 125 would create a registry and certification process under the Department of Children and Families for organizations that provide services, but not shelter to victims of domestic violence.

"This bill promotes protection of domestic violence victims and their children as well as domestic violence advocacy organizations, while encouraging full and forthright communications between victims and their advocates," said Edwards.

There were roughly 6,000 reported cases of domestic violence in Broward County last year, Edwards said in a press statement. Women in Distress was able to provide services and shelter to 3,164 adults and children last year. Broward 2-1-1 referred 981 calls to domestic violence advocacy organizations and shelters. The No More Tears Project helped 89 victims of domestic violence in 2013.

More and more domestic violence advocacy groups are supplementing the work of traditional shelters by providing housing and services referrals as well as direct assistance to victims and their children, she said. This bill would create uniform standards for organizations providing services for victims of domestic violence that do not currently have a facility. Currently, such organizations do not have the same public records exemptions that domestic violence shelters carry. HB 127 would give these service and referral organizations the same confidentiality protections that domestic violence centers currently possess. Any information released would require the written consent from the client.

Said Dr. Laura Finley, chairwoman of Broward-based No More Tears,"All domestic violence advocates, regardless of the type of service agency in which they operate, must be allowed privileged communications with survivors of abuse. Without this critical protection, advocates may be forced to disclose information about a survivor that will jeopardize his or her safety or that of children in the family.

"Further," said Finley, "failure to include service providers not employed or volunteering for actual shelters has needlessly tied up these advocates in frivolous court proceedings at the expense of the provision of the assistance to survivors. This bill corrects the situation and is essential to helping survivors of domestic violence in Florida."

If signed into law the bill would go into effect July 1, 2015.