Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, talks in the House chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers will debate the merits of a proposed bill that would form a domestic violence task force during the 2023 legislative session.
Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, is running the bill, H.B. 43. An interim committee has already moved a bill forward and the House will hear it next.
The task force would be part of the Utah Department of Public Safety.
The law would require the task force to collect data on domestic violence.
“It’d study the problem with the stalking, suicidal ideation, domestic violence in the presence of a child. It’s a whole series of things,” Pierucci said.
It will cost money to set this up. But Pierucci said she hopes having this data can help the state better protect victims.
“There was a woman in my district who tried to get a protective order and was denied it. It was during COVID and she was an essential healthcare worker. She went to work and came home and her husband had killed her two little boys and himself,” Pierucci said.
“We failed her.”
Pierucci said the task force would also have to track when police do lethality assessments, something that Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and State Sen. Todd Weiler want to mandate for law enforcement.
“The primary goal and purpose is to get to a place where we have standardized data. We’re using data that’s over a decade old on domestic violence.”
Lawmakers will debate whether Utah needs a domestic violence task force during this upcoming legislative session, which starts Tuesday.
Utah Lt. Governor Diedre Henderson spoke with KSL NewsRadio hosts Dave and Dujanovic to outline her goals for the 2023 Utah Legislative Session as they pertain to domestic violence. The full podcast is presented below.