BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1596|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
          |(916) 651-1520         Fax: (916) |                         |
          |327-4478                          |                         |
           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
           
                                         
                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1596
          Author:   Hayashi (D)
          Amended:  6/23/10 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE  :  4-0, 6/22/10
          AYES:  Corbett, Harman, Hancock, Leno
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Walters
           
          SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  74-0, 4/8/10 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Protective orders:  emergency protective  
          orders:  enforcement
                      priority

           SOURCE  :     Judicial Council of California


           DIGEST  :    This bill implements recommendations from the  
          Judicial Councils Protective Orders Working Group and make  
          various changes to protective order statutes.  This bill  
          will not take effect until January 1, 2012.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law authorizes a court to issue  
          various types of restraining and protective orders to  
          enjoin a person from engaging in specified acts against  
          another person.

          This bill provides that, in the event multiple and  
                                                           CONTINUED





                                                               AB 1596
                                                                Page  
          2

          conflicting restraining or protective orders are issued  
          against the same person for the protection of the same  
          individual(s) named in the orders, the orders shall be  
          enforced in a manner that provides the greatest protection  
          to the individuals protected under the orders and provides  
          the most restrictions to the restrained party.

          Existing law authorizes a court, on a showing of good  
          cause, to include in a civil harassment restraining order  
          other named family or household members who reside with the  
          plaintiff.

          This bill eliminates the requirement of residence with the  
          plaintiff.

          Existing law provides that a hearing on a petition for a  
          civil harassment or workplace violence restraining order  
          must be held within 15 days from the date a temporary  
          restraining order is issued, or within 21 days, if good  
          cause appears to the court.

          This bill provides that a hearing on a petition for a civil  
          harassment or workplace violence restraining order must be  
          held within 21 days from the date a temporary restraining  
          order is granted or denied, or within 25 days, if good  
          cause appears to the court.

          Existing law requires the court to order the plaintiff, or  
          his/her attorney, to deliver a copy of each civil  
          harassment, workplace violence, or elder or dependent adult  
          abuse restraining order to specified law enforcement  
          agencies within one business day.  Existing law requires  
          the Department of Justice (DOJ) to maintain a statewide  
          telecommunications system, entitled the California Law  
          Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS), for use by  
          law enforcement agencies.

          This bill provides that courts may alternately transmit  
          these orders to law enforcement for entry into CLETS, or  
          enter the order directly into CLETS with the approval of  
          DOJ.

          Existing law provides that an elder or dependent adult who  
          has suffered abuse may seek a protective order.







                                                               AB 1596
                                                                Page  
          3


          This bill allows an action to be brought on behalf of an  
          elder or dependent adult by a conservator or by specified  
          other authorized persons.

          Existing law provides that a person, subject to a  
          protective order under specified provisions of law, that  
          owns, possesses, purchases, or receives, or who attempts to  
          purchase or receive a firearm is guilty of a felony.

          This bill provides that a person, subject to a protective  
          order under specified provisions of law that owns,  
          possesses, purchases, or receives, or who attempts to  
          purchase or receive ammunition is also guilty of a felony.   
          This bill, by creating a new crime imposes a state-mandated  
          local program.

          This bill also makes technical and conforming changes to  
          those provisions of law that govern the issuance of  
          protective orders.

           Background  

          Over the last two decades, the California Legislature has  
          enacted a significant number of laws designed to protect  
          victims of domestic violence, civil harassment, elder and  
          dependent adult abuse, and workplace violence.  These laws  
          authorize courts to issue temporary restraining orders and  
          injunctions against persons engaging in violent,  
          threatening, abusive, or harassing conduct.  In order to  
          facilitate the establishment of protective orders for  
          self-represented victims, the Judicial Council has  
          developed extensive, standardized forms to be used in  
          protective order proceedings.  Two years ago, the Judicial  
          Council established the Protective Orders Working Group,  
          which was tasked with a comprehensive review of issues and  
          form changes relating to protective orders.  The working  
          group is composed of members from the Judicial Council's  
          Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee, the Family and  
          Juvenile Law Advisory Committee, the Criminal Law Advisory  
          Committee, and the Domestic Violence Practice and Procedure  
          Task Force.

          This bill implements recommendations from the Protective  







                                                               AB 1596
                                                                Page  
          4

          Orders Working Group for statutory procedural changes to  
          the protective orders statutes which are intended to  
          provide more clarity and consistency for requests for  
          protective orders.  In order to provide sufficient time for  
          the Judicial Council to implement the requisite form  
          changes in this bill, and to integrate these forms into the  
          courts' case management system, this bill will not take  
          effect until January 1, 2012.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes

          SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/2/10)

          Judicial Council of California (source)


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,  
            Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,  
            Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero,  
            Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto,  
            Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng,  
            Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani,  
            Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,  
            Hernandez, Hill, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu,  
            Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava,  
            Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,  
            Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra  
            Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,  
            Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Gilmore, Huber, Logue, Norby, V. Manuel  
            Perez, Vacancy


          RJG:mw  8/3/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

                                ****  END  ****