HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1032        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1669

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Nine

_______________

An Act providing for restraining orders for victims of a crime and their family members..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 209A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section C the following section:—

Section3D. For the purposes of this section, a “victim” shall be a person who suffers personal injury or death as the result of a crime. A “family member of a victim” shall include the spouse, parent, grandparent, stepmother, stepfather, child, grandchild, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, adopted children of parent or spouse’s parents. An “offender” shall be a person who commits a crime against a victim.

A victim or family member of a victim may file a complaint in the court requesting an order permanently restraining an offender from any contact with the victim or family member of a victim. Said proceedings shall be governed by the applicable provisions of section three except the relief shall be a permanent restraining order.