PROVIDENCE, RI -- Governor Carcieri, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, lawmakers and survivors of domestic violence will gather this Monday for a bill-signing ceremony celebrating passage of legislation from Mollis that protects survivors and their families.
The event is scheduled for at 1 p.m. in the Bell Area on the first floor of the State House.
Mollis and Carcieri will be joined by state Rep. Elaine Coderre and state Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, who sponsored the legislation at Mollis’ request; Deborah DeBare, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence; and Therese Doyle-Parillo, a survivor of domestic violence who will speak about the importance of protecting victims.
Mollis’ legislation makes it harder for perpetrators to track down their victims. People who flee their abusers often move in with friends or family. H 5370 and S 323 will exempt the home address of voters who live with victims of domestic violence from open records disclosure. As Secretary of State, Mollis oversees Rhode Island’s voter registration database.
Representatives Eileen Naughton, Patricia Serpa, Anastasia Williams and Joanne Giannini co-sponsored the legislation. There were no Senate co-sponsors.
The legislation was supported by the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which represents six member agencies and Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships, a taskforce of survivors. Nearly 10,000 victims were helped last year.
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