One mission of the 17th Annual Ending Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Conference in Lexington is to equip participants with a working knowledge of House Bill 8, the state’s new civil protective order legislation which goes into effect next year.
In 2015, the General Assembly put Kentucky on par with the rest of the country by approving civil protections for unmarried couples, but, unlike the state’s heroin bill, the legislation did not have an emergency clause attached – meaning implementation would not be immediate.
Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence executive director Sherry Currens says that delay left some survivors with mistaken impressions.
"In July, when people were talking about it and most other bills went into effect, it didn't. So there was some confusion at that time among victims that they weren't able to get that protection," she recalls. "We hope that people haven't forgotten about it and that they know that it will be available January 1st."
In the meantime, court clerks, judges, law enforcement, and a host of others have set about the tedious task of updating forms and making sure all stakeholders are prepared for the change come January.
Looking forward to 2016, the KCADV plans to ask the General Assembly for additional leasing protections for victims in 2016. Currens says victims sometimes find themselves under pressure from landlords to leave following incidents involving the police.
"And we also have situations where victims need to leave, need to break their lease. In order to be safe, they need to get away. So this bill would provide protections at both ends of that spectrum," she explains.
The 5-day conference draws about 500 participants every year from around the commonwealth. In addition to panels on teenage dating violence, victims’ rights, and social media strategizing, attendees can also opt for a number of "tracks" on subjects ranging from disability to legal issues surrounding domestic and sexual violence.
