Bill To Protect Against Violent Juveniles Held - Flash Player Installation

Bill To Protect Against Violent Juveniles Held - Flash Player Installation

Since 2005, Ohio Domestic Violence Network to pass a bill allow to protection orders against juveniles accused of dating violence or domestic violence. In 2007, Johanna Orozco joined the campaign after her ex-boyfriend shot her in the face, after she attempted to file a protection order following a rape. Because he was 17 at the time of the rape, the CPO was unsuccessful.

On February 8, 2010, NBC4i reported:

"In June, House Bill 10 passed the Ohio House, giving Orozco and others hope that the law would be changed to give juvenile courts the authority to issue protective orders when a juvenile is alleged to have engaged in domestic violence or dating violence. Eight months later, the Ohio State Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

In December, HB 10 passed out of the Senate’s Civil Justice Committee with a catch. In moving the bill forward, committee chairman Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) tacked on unrelated amendments allowing local courts to collect extra fees for court filings. The fees are now holding up a vote on the Senate floor.

Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) was unavailable Monday, but spokesperson Maggie Ostrowski told NBC4, “the issue is about fees, not about the content of the domestic violence portion of the bill. There is no disagreement over those issues. Once they’re able to workout those concerns over the fees in the bill it will be put on the floor.“

Ostrowski could not say when a vote would occur.

Swan said the Senate’s support for juvenile protection orders is welcome, but the squabble over the unrelated court fees should not hold up a floor vote.

“I would suggest simply removing the fees. They have nothing, frankly, to do with the original legislation,“ Swan said.

Reached by phone, Sen. Seitz said he did not want to remove the court fee amendments from the bill, adding that legislative action has been so sparse in the past year that he and others sought the protection order bill as a means to address those issues.

The dispute now threatens to prevent the protection order bill passing, though Ostrowski said a vote would eventually take place. Governor Ted Strickland has called on the Senate to pass the bill."

What is being accomplished by delaying this bill?