House Bill 1715 is moving forward, as it has now passed out of committee in the Washington State House of Representatives. The bill is aimed at enhancing existing services and protections for domestic violence victims. The main components of the bill include starting up a lethality assessment hotline, strengthening civil protection orders, expanding GPS monitoring for offenders, and creating right to counsel for low-income survivors, among other things. The bill would require courts to get protection orders to law enforcement the same day they are issued, rather than by the next court day. It would also require that police attempt to serve the protection order within 24 hours, unless an emergency prohibits the feasibility of that obligation. GPS tracking of offenders would also be used as an oversight tool in all jurisdictions. In short, the components of the bill make it one of the most thorough, original and comprehensive bills in the entire nation.
SQ Attorneys is a Washington State criminal defense law firm comprised of two seasoned criminal defense lawyers, Greg Schwesinger and Saad Qadri. Although the firm and its attorneys does not support, or otherwise condone, criminal behavior, the criminal attorneys that make up the SQ team certainly realize that sometimes good people make bad choices or otherwise get caught up in bad situations. Some crimes like DUI – for instance – don’t even include a ‘state of mind’ element – the government has simply legislated that certain behavior – regardless of the person’s intent or knowledge – is illegal. If you or a loved one is cited for a crime – domestic violence related or otherwise – don’t despair, contact a qualified criminal defense attorney (like the ones that make up the team at SQ Attorneys) to assist you in navigating the criminal justice system. SQ Attorneys can be reached at (425) 359-3791 or (206) 441-0900.
