Drafted by the

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS

ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS

and by it

APPROVED AND RECOMMENDED FOR ENACTMENT

IN ALL THE STATES

at its

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

MEETING IN ITS ONE-HUNDRED-AND-NINTH YEAR

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

JULY 28 - AUGUST 4, 2000

WITHOUT PREFATORY NOTE AND COMMENTS

Copyright © 2000

By

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS

ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS

October, 2000

UNIFORM INTERSTATE ENFORCEMENT OF DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE PROTECTION ORDERS ACT (2000)

The Committee that acted for the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in preparing the Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic-Violence Protection Orders Act was as follows:

MARIAN P. OPALA, Supreme Court, Room 238, State Capitol, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, Chair

DEBORAH E. BEHR, Office of Attorney General, Department of Law, P.O. Box 110300, Juneau,

AK 99811

FRANK W. DAYKIN, 4745 Giles Way, Carson City, NV 89704, Committee on Style Liaison

WANDA WILLIAMS FINNIE, Office of the Public Defender, 121 Plumstead Drive, Freehold,

NJ 07728

SHAUN P. HAAS, Legislative Council, Suite 401, 1 E. Main Street, Madison, WI 53701-2536

ROGER P. MORGAN, P.O. Box 588, Mystic, CT 06355

PETER K. MUNSON, P.O. Box 1949, 123 S. Travis Street, Sherman, TX 75091-1949

ANN BOWEN POULIN, Villanova University School of Law, 299 North Spring Mill Road, Garey Hall,

Villanova, PA 19085

BATTLE R. ROBINSON, 104 W. Market Street, Georgetown, DE 19947

ROBERT B. WEBSTER, 255 S. Old Woodward Avenue, 3rd Floor, Birmingham, MI 48009

ANDREW C. SPIROPOULOS, Oklahoma City University, School of Law, 2501 N. Blackwelder,

Oklahoma City, OK 73106, Reporter

JOHN L. McCLAUGHERTY, P.O. Box 553, Charleston, WV 25322, President

ROBERT C. ROBINSON, P.O. Box 568, 12 Portland Pier, Portland, ME 04112, Division Chair

JAMES R. RIEHL, 614 Division Street, MS-25, Port Orchard, WA 98366-4684

FRED H. MILLER, University of Oklahoma, College of Law, 300 Timberdell Road, Norman,

OK 73019, Executive Director

WILLIAM J. PIERCE, 1505 Roxbury Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Executive Director Emeritus

UNIFORM INTERSTATE ENFORCEMENT

OF DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE PROTECTION ORDERS ACT

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This [Act] may be cited as the Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic-Violence Protection Orders Act.

SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS. In this [Act]:

(1) "Foreign protection order" means a protection order issued by a tribunal of another State.

(2 ) "Issuing State" means the State whose tribunal issues a protection order.

(3) "Mutual foreign protection order" means a foreign protection order that includes provisions in favor of both the protected individual seeking enforcement of the order and the respondent.

(4) "Protected individual" means an individual protected by a protection order.

(5) "Protection order" means an injunction or other order, issued by a tribunal under the domestic-violence or family-violence laws of the issuing State, to prevent an individual from engaging in violent or threatening acts against, harassment of, contact or communication with, or physical proximity to, another individual.

(6) "Respondent" means the individual against whom enforcement of a protection order is sought.

(7) "State" means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the

jurisdiction of the United States. The term includes an Indian tribe or band that has jurisdiction to issue protection orders.

(8) "Tribunal" means a court, agency, or other entity authorized by law to issue or modify a protection order.

SECTION 3. JUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT OF ORDER.

(a) A person authorized by the law of this State to seek enforcement of a protection order may seek enforcement of a valid foreign protection order in a tribunal of this State. The tribunal shall enforce the terms of the order, including terms that provide relief that a tribunal of this State would lack power to provide but for this section. The tribunal shall enforce the order, whether the order was obtained by independent action or in another proceeding, if it is an order issued in response to a complaint, petition, or motion filed by or on behalf of an individual seeking protection. In a proceeding to enforce a foreign protection order, the tribunal shall follow the procedures of this State for the enforcement of protection orders.

(b) A tribunal of this State may not a enforce a foreign protection order issued by a tribunal of a State that does not recognize the standing of a protected individual to seek enforcement of the order.

(c) A tribunal of this State shall enforce the provisions of a valid foreign protection order which govern custody and visitation, if the order was issued in accordance with the jurisdictional requirements governing the issuance of custody and visitation orders in the issuing State.

(d) A tribunal of this State may not enforce under this [Act] a provision of a foreign protection order with respect to support.

(e) A foreign protection order is valid if it:

(1) identifies the protected individual and the respondent;

(2) is currently in effect;

(3) was issued by a tribunal that had jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter under the law of the issuing State; and

(4) was issued after the respondent was given reasonable notice and had an opportunity to be heard before the tribunal issued the order or, in the case of an order ex parte, the respondent was given notice and had an opportunity to be heard within a reasonable time after the order was issued, consistent with the rights of the respondent to due process.

(e) A foreign protection order valid on its face is prima facie evidence of its validity.

(f) Absence of any of the criteria for validity of a foreign protection order is an affirmative defense in an action seeking enforcement of the order.

(g) A tribunal of this State may enforce provisions of a mutual foreign protection order which favor a respondent only if:

(1) the respondent filed a written pleading seeking a protection order from the tribunal of the issuing State; and

(2) the tribunal of the issuing State made specific findings in favor of the respondent.

SECTION 4. NONJUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT OF ORDER.

(a) A law enforcement officer of this State, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order as if it were the order of a tribunal of this State. Presentation of a protection order that identifies both the protected individual and the respondent and, on its face, is currently in effect constitutes probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists. For the purposes of this section, the protection order may be inscribed on a tangible medium or may have been stored in an electronic or other medium if it is retrievable in perceivable form. Presentation of a certified copy of a protection order is not required for enforcement.

(b) If a foreign protection order is not presented, a law enforcement officer of this State may consider other information in determining whether there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists.

(c) If a law enforcement officer of this State determines that an otherwise valid foreign protection order cannot be enforced because the respondent has not been notified or served with the order, the officer shall inform the respondent of the order, make a reasonable effort to serve the order upon the respondent, and allow the respondent a reasonable opportunity to comply with the order before enforcing the order.

(d) Registration or filing of an order in this State is not required for the enforcement of a valid foreign protection order pursuant to this [Act].

[SECTION 5. REGISTRATION OF ORDER.

(a) Any individual may register a foreign protection order in this State. To register a foreign protection order, an individual shall:

(1) present a certified copy of the order to [the state agency responsible for the registration of such orders]; or

(2) present a certified copy of the order to [an agency designated by the State] and request that the order be registered with [the agency responsible for the registration of such orders].

(b) Upon receipt of a foreign protection order, [the agency responsible for the registration of such orders] shall register the order in accordance with this section. After the order is registered, [the responsible agency] shall furnish to the individual registering the order a certified copy of the registered order.

(c) [The agency responsible for the registration of foreign protection orders] shall register an order upon presentation of a copy of a protection order which has been certified by the issuing State. A registered foreign protection order that is inaccurate or is not currently in effect must be corrected or removed from the registry in accordance with the law of this State.

(d) An individual registering a foreign protection order shall file an affidavit by the protected individual stating that, to the best of the protected individual's knowledge, the order is currently in effect.

(e) A foreign protection order registered under this [Act] may be entered in any existing state or federal registry of protection orders, in accordance with applicable law.

[(f) A fee may not be charged for the registration of a foreign protection order.]]

SECTION 6. IMMUNITY. This State or a local governmental agency, or a law enforcement officer, prosecuting attorney, clerk of court, or any state or local governmental official acting in an official capacity, is immune from civil and criminal liability for an act or omission arising out of the registration or enforcement of a foreign protection order or the detention or arrest of an alleged violator of a foreign protection order if the act or omission was done in good faith in an effort to comply with this [Act].

SECTION 7. OTHER REMEDIES. A protected individual who pursues remedies under this [Act] is not precluded from pursuing other legal or equitable remedies against the respondent.

SECTION 8. UNIFORMITY OF APPLICATION AND CONSTRUCTION. In applying and construing this Uniform Act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among States that enact it.

SECTION 9. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any provision of this [Act] or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this [Act] which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this [Act] are severable.

SECTION 10. EFFECTIVE DATE. This [Act] takes effect on .............................. .

SECTION 11. TRANSITIONAL PROVISION. This [Act] applies to protection

orders issued before [the effective date of this [Act]] and to continuing actions for enforcement of foreign protection orders commenced before [the effective date of this [Act]]. A request for enforcement of a foreign protection orders made on or after [the effective date of this [Act]] for violations of a foreign protection order occurring before [the effective date of this [Act]] is governed by this [Act].