HB 505 Summary

• Consolidates and revises domestic violence definitions across Missouri statutes, defining "domestic violence" as abuse or stalking between family or household members, including spouses, former spouses, relatives, cohabitants, romantic partners, and persons with a child in common.

• Expands protections for domestic violence victims by allowing orders of protection to restrain respondents from abusing, threatening, molesting, or disturbing victims and from communicating with victims in any manner or through any medium.

• Increases penalties for violating protective orders: violations become a class A misdemeanor, and repeat violations within five years become a class D felony.

• Establishes standards for court-appointed batterer intervention programs through the division of probation and parole in consultation with the statewide domestic violence coalition.

• Allows domestic violence victims to change their names without public newspaper notice and permits law enforcement to report all domestic violence incidents to the Missouri Crime Index regardless of whether an arrest is made.