BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
Legislative approach
What's next
the abuser of the intention to leave. The moment in time between when a person decides to leave and shortly after they leave is the most dangerous, officials said. Instead of leaving on their own, individuals in this situation are urged to call one of the local resources below to form a safety plan to navigate the situation safely.
When it comes to helping people get out of a situation where abuse is taking place, subject matter experts with Harris County nonprofits emphasized the importance of always believing survivors when they talk about what they are going through and taking them seriously. For people who are preparing to leave abusive relationships, experts said to never tell
Several bills passed during the 2023 legislative session in Texas and signed into law have been cited as victories by domestic violence advocates.
When seeking a protective order against an abuser, a person no longer needs to prove that abuse is likely to happen again. When a survivor is successful in obtaining a protective order, it reduces the chances of abuse happening again by 80% , according to the Texas Advocacy Project. Creates a state-run website that allows the public to search a database of everyone in the state who has two or more family violence convictions. The website is expected to go live in January and will be run the by Texas Department of Public Safety. Gives Texas courts the power to determine if an alleged abuser should be prohibited from, without the survivor’s consent, tracking or monitoring: • The survivor • Their family members • Their household members • Vehicles
House Bill 2715
House Bill 1432:
National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233
Houston Area Women’s Center 24-hour hotline: 713-528-2121 www.hawc.org
House Bill 5202
The Bridge Over Troubled Waters 24-hour hotline: 713-473-2801 • www.tbotw.org
SOURCES: TEXAS LEGISLATURE, TEXAS ADVOCACY PROJECT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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