Carruthers Applauds Passage of Substitute House Bill 3 in the Ohio House

COLUMBUS – The Ohio House of Representatives today passed Substitute House Bill 3, if signed into law would be known as Aisha’s Law,  which helps protect victims of domestic violence that are in extreme risk and lethal situations. The bi-partisan bill is sponsored by State Representatives Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) and Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights).

Provisions of the bill include:

• Allowing law enforcement, with the consent of a domestic violence victim, to request an emergency protection order from a judge anytime the court is not open for regular business.
• Requires the court to issue an emergency protection order if there is probable cause to believe that the victim is in immediate danger based on allegations of recent domestic violence incidents.
• Expands the offense of domestic violence to include strangulation.
• Makes an individual eligible for a charge of aggravated murder if the victim was a prior victim of domestic violence at the hand of the perpetrator.
• Requires high risk victims of domestic violence to be referred to local or regional domestic violence advocacy services.
• Provides funds for the training of law enforcement to use the newly mandated domestic violence risk assessment tool, which will evaluate both an offender’s risk of re-offending and a victim’s risk of lethal assault.
• Creates a study committee on the prosecution of domestic violence cases.

“Domestic violence truly does impact every county and every community in our state, especially during the pandemic,” said Carruthers. “I look forward to continuing my work with Representative Boyd and our colleagues in the Senate to get this extremely important legislation signed into law.”

Substitute House Bill 3 passed in the House with a vote of 92-4, and now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.