Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

Domestic violence is often shrouded in silence and stigma. It transcends age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and geography. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This time of awareness stands as a call to action and a promise of support for those affected.

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse.

The statistics surrounding domestic violence are staggering. In Arkansas, 40.8% of women and 34.8% of men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes.

Nationwide, local domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 19,159 calls a day, an average of approximately 13 calls every minute.

The Arkansas General Assembly consistently reviews legislation designed to prevent domestic abuse, hold abusers accountable, and support victims.

In the 2023 Regular Session, the General Assembly passed ACT 849. This act adds aggravated assault on a family member or household member to past conduct that qualifies a person as a repeat offender for purposes of domestic battering in the first degree and domestic battering in the second degree.

In the 2021 Regular Session, the General Assembly passed ACT 800, the Arkansas Phoenix Act. This act amends the statute of limitations for offenses involving domestic violence and provides for training to be given to law enforcement officers on additional topics that arise in which domestic violence is suspected.

Legislators will continue to review our laws regarding domestic violence in future legislative sessions.

Domestic violence is preventable. By raising awareness and providing education, we can work towards changing societal norms and behaviors that perpetuate violence.

If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic violence, visitwww.laurascard.ar.gov to find resources near you.

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. That equates to more than 10 million women and men. 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Communities and advocacy organizations across the country connect with the public and one another throughout the month to raise awareness about the signs of abuse and ways to stop it. 

We want to take this time to remind you about the new laws passed this year in an effort to prevent abuse and protect victims. 

ACT 800 creates the Arkansas Phoenix Act of 2021, which amends the statute of limitations for offenses involving domestic violence and provides for training to be given to law enforcement officers on additional topics that arise in which domestic violence is suspected. 

Act 1068 provides that a court may enter an order enjoining a party from engaging in course of control. The act defines course of control as a pattern of behavior that unreasonably interferes with the free will and personal liberty of a person.  

ACT 980 creates a mechanism to protect the address information of victims of domestic violence on all voter registration materials. 

Act 913 provides that if a person requests from the Department of Finance and Administration the residence address of a driver's license holder who participates in the address confidentiality program due to domestic violence, the department shall provide the information only if the person presents a current court order finding a compelling reason and the person has not been convicted of domestic violence against who the order of protection has been entered. 

No person should be subjected to the fear, shame, and humiliation that an abusive relationship produces. And leaving those relationships is not easy. 

If you are someone you know is impacted by domestic violence, visit www.laurascard.ar.gov today to find resources near you.