According to Erin Jemison, Utah Domestic Violence Coalition (UDVC) director of public policy, there are three priorities for this year: preventing cuts from happening to victim services funding and ensuring that bills will improve victims’ outcomes through the legal system and that affordable housing and homeless prevention services include domestic violence needs.

“It’s day 10 of the legislative session and we’re tracking 87 bills,” states a Jan. 29 post on the UDVC Facebook page. Yes, several bills could affect Utah’s children and adults, especially victims. For example, H.B. 303, Family Court Amendments, addresses factors for courts to consider in child custody proceedings. These court decisions can help protect children.

According to Ashlee Taylor, executive director of The Refuge Utah, other bills are also worthy of tracking. H.B. 102, Victim Privacy Amendments, addresses victims’ rights to privacy. This bill will allow survivors to use their initials in publicly available criminal justice documents. This is already considered best practice, but with the passage of the bill, it would be a required option for survivors and help protect their privacy.

H.B. 237 is being supported by the Victim Services Commission and increases the penalty for some stalking situations when the actor knowingly enters a dwelling unlawfully. H.B. 276 is a bill targeting intimate pictures generated by generative AI (Artificial Intelligence). One part of the bill is that it “prohibits generation services and platforms from distributing counterfeit intimate images without obtaining and verifying consent from the depicted individual.” It also prohibits the distribution of a counterfeit intimate image without the consent of the identifiable individual depicted in the image.

Senate Joint Resolution 1, Joint Resolution Amending Rules of Evidence Concerning Crimes and Other Acts, makes an exception in child molestation and sexual assault cases, allowing evidence from previous crimes to be mentioned in trial. According to Taylor, this could make a big difference in some cases. It is also important to note that there are still contingencies in this that require the prosecutor to inform the defendant well in advance that they will address prior evidence so the defendant has time to prepare.

These are just a few examples of the important work being done on the hill during this legislative session. It is worth following these and other bills and resolutions that could help – or hurt – victims in this state.

The UDVC’s annual Advocacy Day on the Hill will be held on Feb. 10, with a press conference scheduled for 12:15 p.m. that will be broadcast live on the UDVC Facebook page. The coalition will provide updates on the legislative session and its priorities for domestic abuse prevention. Also, legislators who are championing bills that are crucial to the safety and healing of domestic abuse survivors will speak. For more information, check out the UDVC’s Facebook page.