Tonight in the Judiciary Committee we are debating a
hodgepodge bill. Legislation that addresses victims of human sex trafficking
and has nearly unanimous support of committee members has been hijacked by
majority Democrats to make a political statement using a big wedge.
Why? Politics at its worst.
Later tonight the Judiciary Committee is debating HB5054 –
An Act Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence from Governor Malloy. All of the
language in this bill was dumped into HB5623 – An Act Concerning Violence
Against Women and Victims of Human Trafficking. So we get to debate the same
bill twice – all so majority Democrats can claim Republicans don’t respect
women.
That’s politics at its worst.
Here’s the real story – Republicans on the Judiciary
Committee oppose the temporary restraining order process proposed by Democrats.
Why? The proposal has a dangerous lack of due process.
Connecticut currently has an effective process to remove
firearms from a potential domestic violence perpetrator. A risk warrant process
protects due process, requires an investigation and a hearing before a judge.
The risk warrant is an effective way to protect victims of domestic violence. The
proposed temporary restraining order process fails to protect due process.
So good legislation addressing victims of human sex
trafficking gets a no vote because flawed legislation gets tacked on and voted
on twice.
Hodgepodge. Politics at its worst!
