Domestic abusers, watch out!
Gov. Juan N. Babauta will give more teeth to measures that would curb the rising number of domestic violence in the CNMI when he signs the bill that would criminalize domestic abuse behavior.
At 11am today, Babauta would sign House Bill 14-5 or the Domestic Violence Criminal Act in a ceremony at the Governor’s Office. The Senate passed the measure during its Wednesday session on Rota with majority vote.
Among others, the bill would include the crime of stalking to the Commonwealth Criminal Code.
The measure would also provide escalating penalties for repeat offenders and require law enforcement officers to advise and assist victims in providing medical attention and emergency shelter.
Under the proposed measure, added to the existing statute are misdemeanor cases that include interference with domestic violence report, unlawful contact, violation of order protection, duties of law enforcers, notification to victims of domestic violence, mandatory arrest, course of conduct or repeated acts, bail and conditions of release in domestic violence cases, and mandatory sentencing.
The new measure would also amend 6 CMC Section 4113 to prohibit the court from granting suspended imposition of sentence on any defendants convicted of a crime involving domestic violence. Also, the measure provides protection of the confidentiality of communication between the victim and her/his counselor.
The House Committee on Health and Welfare said that additional funding is necessary for the enforcement purposes, adding that the benefit of ensuring the safety and protection of CNMI residents far outweigh any additional cost to be incurred.
“The [proposed] Act revises current statutes and supplements the Code to add some new provisions, to give our judges the tools to fashion appropriate bail and probation conditions to protect victims from those who abuse them on a long-term basis. It codifies the policy of mandatory arrest, to help break the inter-generational cycle of violence by letting children see police come and take the perpetrator away in handcuffs. It provides new offenses designed to criminalize unlawful contact, stalking, interference with attempts to report domestic violence crimes, and violating orders of protections,” Rep. Benjamin Seman, who introduced the bill, said.
Also, the governor would sign into law House Bill 14-3, a measure that would complement the enforcement of Public Law 13-15 or the Tobacco Master Settlement Model Escrow Statute.
