HB144 Summary

• Amends Section 12-15-114 to grant juvenile courts exclusive original jurisdiction over protection from abuse cases when the defendant is a juvenile.

• Amends Section 30-5-2 to define "court" in protection from abuse cases to include juvenile courts for cases where the defendant is a child, as defined in Section 12-15-102.

• Shifts jurisdiction of protection from abuse cases involving juvenile defendants from circuit or district courts to the juvenile court system.

• Becomes effective immediately upon passage and approval by the Governor or upon otherwise becoming law.