Substitute House Bill 254 Summary

• Establishes domestic violence fatality review boards at county or regional levels to review deaths of individuals over 18 caused by domestic violence and develop prevention strategies.

• Board members include county coroners, law enforcement, public health officials, prosecutors, physicians with domestic violence expertise, domestic violence advocates, perpetrator treatment program representatives, and other professionals.

• Boards must maintain confidential records and databases of domestic violence deaths, collect demographic and contributing factor information, and submit annual reports to the department of health.

• Board meetings and internal work products are confidential and not subject to public records requests, with limited exceptions for information sharing with child fatality review boards and law enforcement when investigations/prosecutions are concluded.

• Violations of confidentiality provisions are misdemeanors of the first degree; board members and entities providing information to boards receive immunity from civil and criminal liability except for confidentiality violations.