By Guy Page
The Vermont House yesterday gave initial approval to H.27, which adds “coercive controlling behavior” as a basis for obtaining a civil abuse prevention order against a family or household member.
The bill passed 106-31 on a roll call vote (requested by Democratic house leadership). It is scheduled for final approval today, and then will proceed to the Senate.
At present, abuse prevention orders are granted against suspected perpetrators of stalking, sexual assault, child abuse, and placing family members in fear of imminent harm. The bill expands this criteria to include coercive controlling behavior between family or household members, meaning a pattern of conduct that has the purpose or effect of substantially restricting the safety or autonomy through implicit or explicit threats, intimidation, or by compelling compliance.
Examples include:
- monitoring or surveilling the plaintiff’s personal activities;
- manipulating mental health
- isolating from family or friends or opportunity to participate in a faith community or employment;
- repeatedly humiliating the plaintiff or using degrading language
- threatening to harm or abduct the plaintiff or the plaintiff’s children or animals that are connected to the family
- threatening to contact local or federal authorities based on the actual or perceived immigration status, and more.
The bill says coercive controlling behavior does not include conduct taken by a plaintiff to protect themselves or the plaintiff’s children from the risk of present or future harm.
Rep. William Notte (D-Rutland) said the bill is aimed at protecting women in abusive relationships: “While we employ gender neutral language when drafting bills, the honest reality here is that we are trying to assist women facing abuse from men who want to keep them under their thumb. I voted yes on H.27 because it offers needed protections for such women. Such women have died in instances where the first physically violent act of their partner was the one that killed them. Physical violence cannot be the bar, too many lives depend on this.”
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