A bill to crack down on violence committed in dating relationships passed the House unanimously today.
Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes of Akron was a joint sponsor of the bill. On the floor, Sykes remembered 31-year-old Brittany Littlejohn, a constituent shot to death, allegedly by her boyfriend, earlier this month. She called on lawmakers to support the bill to “ensure that no one has to bury a child, no one has bury their mother, no one has to bury their friend because this state has done absolutely everything that we could to protect victims of dating violence.”
The bill is similar to laws in 48 other states allowing for protective orders in dating relationships. House leadership had said it was a priority after the bill failed to pass both chambers during the lame-duck session last year.
