TOPEKA, Kan. - One day after testifying before the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee in support of new legislation to help track crimes associated with domestic violence in Kansas, nationally recognized advocates Curt and Christie Brungardt are hopeful about the prospects for passage of the bill.
"Today was a very positive day for this legislation," Curt Brungardt said Tuesday. "We are much closer to having everybody who cares about this issue on the same page. "
The Brungardts, whose daughter Jana Mackey was murdered in Lawrence by an ex-boyfrend in July 2008, testified Monday in support of House Bill 2517. The bill would require that a domestic violence tag be placed on all legal documents associated with a criminal act that is based on an intimate relationship.
Having this DV tag is especially important as offenders often repeat their crimes against victims. Therefore, this legislation encourages sanctions to be put in place before violence escalates by alerting judicial and law enforcement officials to the violent tendencies exhibited by individuals in a wider range of crimes.
Today, Christie Brungardt noted that the turnout at the hearing on Monday was important.
"I was very impressed with the number of citizens who showed up to support the bill," Christie Brungardt said. "So many people requested the opportunity to testify in support of the tag legislation that the committee had to continue the hearing today."
Christie Brungardt said she was equally impressed by the attentiveness of the committee to the testimony.
"The depth of their questions and comments showed a genuine interest in how this legislation might help the state improve the response of our justice system to all the signals of domestic violence," said Brungardt.
Recently the Brungardts have created Jana's Campaign to Stop Domestic Violence to encourage and promote a public policy response to domestic violence.
Others who testified at the hearing included representatives from the Attorney General's office, the Governor's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, Kansas Department of Corrections, law enforcement, and the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Along with other advocates of improved response to domestic violence, the Brungardts are pushing for a final bill to be signed into law by the Governor before the end of the legislative session.
"All the flags are flying to get a bill out of committee and onto the floor," Curt Brungardt said today.
Post your own comment here