What’s New on WomensLaw.org

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February 2024

On our Virginia Restraining Orders page, we translated into Spanish recent updates made to the following questions:

On our Nevada Restraining Orders page, we translated into Spanish recent updates made to the following three questions:

On our Nevada Custody page, we translated into Spanish a recent update made to If there is a custody order in place, can I relocate?

In our North Carolina Domestic Violence Protective Orders section, we translated into Spanish recent updates made to What protections can I get in a domestic violence protective order (DVPO)? and Who can get a domestic violence protective order (DVPO)? and the following three recently created questions:

In our North Carolina Civil No-Contact Orders, we translated into Spanish recent updates made to Am I eligible to file for a civil no-contact order? and What happens if the abuser/stalker violates the civil no-contact order?

In our Montana State Gun Laws page, we translated into Spanish recent updates made to the following four questions:

On our New Jersey Divorce page, we translated into Spanish the recently added question Will my divorce case be sent to mediation if I am a domestic violence victim?

We translated into Spanish a recent update made to Will the judge always give equal parenting time? in our Missouri Custody section.

In our Federal Gun Laws section, we translated into Spanish two additional grounds related to mental illness that were already included in the English version of I do not have an order of protection against the abuser, and s/he has not been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor or felony. Can s/he have a gun?

On our New Mexico Custody page, we translated into Spanish a recent update made to Who can file for custody?

On our Vermont State Gun Laws page, we translated into Spanish recent updates made to the following questions:

We updated the resource Cultural Development & Wellness Center Victims Assistance, formerly the Asian Pacific Development Center Victims Assistance, on our Colorado Denver Metro Area Resources and Local Programs pages. We also added the resource to the Statewide Programs page. All changes made in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish 18 new crimes related to abuse and stalking that were recently added on our Oklahoma Crimes page.

We translated into Spanish two questions on our Oklahoma Restraining Orders page, which were recently revised to more accurately reflect that an adult crime victim seeking a protective order against someone who is not a family or household member is required to file a police report first:

We translated into Spanish recent updates made to I am a victim of domestic violence and the abuser has a gun. Is that legal? and If the abuser has been convicted of a crime, can he keep or buy a gun? in our Maryland State Gun Laws section

We updated the resource SAFE House, formerly Safe Passage Shelter, on our Tennessee Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

We updated a resource, Haven of Hope, and added its four additional locations on our Tennessee Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

We added the resource STAR Alaska (Standing Together Against Rape) to our Alaska Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

We added a resource, the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence, to our Florida Statewide Programs page in English and Spanish.

We updated a resource, the Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter, on our South Dakota Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish a newly created Oregon Child Support page, which includes the following five questions that provide information about Oregon’s child support laws:

We translated into Spanish a newly created New Mexico Housing Laws section, which includes the following three questions:

We translated into Spanish two newly created questions on our Nevada Custody page:

We translated into Spanish the recently revised question If I am a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, how does the law protect me? and three newly added questions in our Arkansas Housing Laws section:

We translated into Spanish four newly added questions on our District of Columbia Child Support page:

We translated into Spanish a newly created Arizona Child Support section, which includes five new questions that provide information about the state child support laws.

We translated into Spanish two new questions on our Texas Restraining Orders page:

We translated into Spanish a recent update made to Who can file for an extreme risk protection order? on our New York Extreme Risk Protection Orders section.

We translated into Spanish all the revisions and updates made to our Oklahoma Custody page and these three new questions:

We updated a resource, Crisis Support Network, and added its two additional locations on our Washington Local Programs page. Changes made in English and Spanish.

We revised What are the residency requirements for divorce in Kentucky? in our Kentucky Divorce section to clarify the fact that the 180 day residency requirement refers to the period of time immediately before filing the divorce petition.

On our Oregon Restraining Orders page, we revised the following questions in English and Spanish based on 2024 legislative changes that allow restraining orders to remain in effect for two years instead of one:

On our Oregon Housing Laws page, we revised the following questions in English and Spanish based on 2024 legislative changes that add bias crime as a reason for certain housing protections:

We added Bias Crime in the first and second degree to our Oregon Crimes page in English and Spanish and to our Selected Oregon Statutes page.

January 2024

To finish the complete revision of our Washington Restraining Orders page based on the legislative changes that standardized the procedures for all of Washington’s different types of protection orders, we did the following:

In our Civil Anti-Harassment Protection Orders section, we revised the following questions:

We also added 8 new questions:

In our Extreme Risk Protection Orders section, we revised the following questions:

We also added the question Can the respondent terminate the order?

All of these changes were made in English. Spanish coming soon!

In our Washington Vulnerable Adult Protection Order section, we revised the following questions based on the legislative changes made in 2022 and 2023 that standardized the procedures for all of Washington’s different types of protection orders:

We added 5 new questions based on the same changes:

All of these changes were made in English. Spanish coming soon!

We also added 2 related statutes to our Selected Washington Statutes page.

In our Washington Sexual Assault Protection Orders section, we revised the following questions based on the legislative changes made in 2022 and 2023 that standardized the procedures for all of Washington’s different types of protection orders:

These changes were made in English. Spanish coming soon!

We also revised What is the legal definition of sexual assault in Washington? in both English and Spanish.

Based on 2024 legislative amendments, we did the following:

Revised What is the definition of a felony? in our Illinois State Gun Laws section in English and Spanish to remove the reference to the death penalty;
In our Illinois Workplace Protections, we did the following (Spanish coming soon):
- Revised What actions, specifically, can I use my time off from work to do? page to add that victims can now take time off to:
  - attend the funeral, memorial, wake, or similar ceremony of a family or household member who is killed in a crime of violence;
  - make arrangements related to the death of a family or household member who is killed in a crime of violence; or
  - grieve the death of a family or household member who is killed in a crime of violence.
- Created a new question called How many days can I take off from work? to add specific information about taking leave if a family or household member was killed in a crime of violence. We also explained a related law called the Family Bereavement Leave Act, and added two related statutes to our Selected Illinois Statutes page.
- Revised How much advance notice do I need to give my employer to take time off from work? And what proof do I need to provide? to include the fact that a death certificate, published obituary, or written verification of death, burial, or memorial services from a mortuary, funeral home, burial society, crematorium, religious institution, or government agency, documenting that a victim was killed in a crime of violence is an acceptable form of documentation that can be provided to the employer.

We added a resource, North County Family Justice Center, to our California Legal Assistance page in English and Spanish.

In our Hawaii State Gun Laws page, we did the following:

Created the new question Who qualifies for a gun permit? and revised I am a victim of domestic violence and the abuser has a gun. Is that legal? and I do not have a protective order against the abuser, and s/he has not been convicted of a crime. Can s/he have a gun? to explain that a permit can be denied to anyone who otherwise qualifies if the authority who is issuing it believes that it would not be in the interest of public health, safety, or welfare because “the person lacks the essential character or temperament necessary to be entrusted with a firearm.” This is based on 2024 legislative amendments.
Revised I have a protection order against the abuser. Can s/he have or buy a gun? to clarify that for gun possession to be prohibited under Hawaii state law, the order must specifically includes a statement that possession of a firearm by the person named in the order is prohibited.

In our Nevada Orders for Protection Against Domestic Violence section, we revised What types of orders are there? How long do they last? and Step 1: File an application in court. in English and Spanish based on 2024 legislative changes that allow a victim to file for an order electronically if an abuser has been arrested and is in jail.

On our Nevada Workplace Protections page, we revised the following questions in English and Spanish based on 2024 legislative changes that add sexual assault as a reason that someone qualifies to take time off from work:

In our New Jersey Sexual Assault Restraining Orders section, we revised What is a sexual assault restraining order? and What types of sexual assault restraining orders are there? How long do they last? in English and Spanish based on 2024 legislative changes adding stalking and cyber-harassment as offenses that qualify someone to file.

Based on the same legislative changes, we also revised What are the legal definitions of nonconsensual sexual contact, sexual penetration, lewdness, stalking, and cyber-harassment?, What protections can I get in a sexual assault restraining order?, and Who can get a sexual assault restraining order? in English. Spanish coming soon!

We also added the new questions Can I file for a sexual assault restraining order if I am a minor? and Can I file against a minor? in English. Spanish coming soon!

Finally, we added one related statute to our Selected New Jersey Statutes page.

We revised Do I need anything special to get my DVRO enforced in another state? in English and Spanish in our California Restraining Orders page to add the fact that the clerk must give a petitioner up to three certified copies at no cost.

On our New Mexico Child Support page, we revised If I have joint custody, will either parent have to pay child support? in English to clarify why one parent might be ordered to pay child support even if the parents have joint custody of their child. Spanish coming soon!

We revised our Georgia Download Court Forms page to add links to court forms for divorce with minor children and divorce without minor children. We also clarified that the links to the court forms for protection orders also include dating violence protective orders.

Based on 2024 legislative changes, we did the following:

Revised Can a parent who committed violence get visitation? in our California Custody section to add virtual visitation as an option, to explain that parents can submit the name of a proposed visitation supervisor, and to add the new factors that a judge must consider before ordering visitation if a parent is living in a domestic violence shelter or other confidential location; and
Revised Step 4 - Service of process in our California Domestic Violence Restraining Orders section to add that if a law enforcement officer sees any firearm or other deadly weapon in plain sight when serving a domestic violence restraining order or a gun violence restraining order, s/he must take take it into police custody.
Revised How will the judge make a decision? in our California Gun Violence Restraining Orders section to add that the judge can now consider evidence that the respondent obtained body armour when deciding whether to issue an order.

(Spanish coming soon.)

In our California Housing Laws section, we:

Revised What housing laws can protect me if I need to break my lease? to remove ”marital rape” from the definition of “sexual assault;” and
Created a new question called What can I do if the landlord doesn’t follow this law? (Spanish soon to come.)
Revised Who does this law protect? in English and Spanish to add that the law that protects against housing discrimination now also protect victims and their immediate family members if they experienced:
- a crime that caused bodily injury or death;
- a crime that included the showing, taking out, brandishing, or using a firearm or other deadly weapon or instrument; or
- a crime that included the use of force against the victim or a threat of force against the victim.
Created a new question in the Protection from Housing Discrimination sub-section called How does the law define “immediate family member” and “household member”? in English and Spanish.
Revised Can a landlord refuse to renew my lease or evict me because I am a victim? to add the fact that if the landlord believes that the victim is allowing or agreeing to the abuser’s presence in the home, the landlord must first serve the victim with a three-day notice requiring him/her not to voluntarily allow or agree to the abuser coming into the unit before the landlord can terminate or refuse to renew the tenancy. (Spanish soon to come.)
Revised What documentation do I need to show my landlord to prove that I am a victim of abuse? to add that the documentation can also be related to the tenant’s immediate family member. Changes made in English and Spanish.
Revised Who is considered a qualified third party? What type of documentation do I need from a qualified third party? in English and Spanish to add that a violent crime victim advocate is now considered a qualified third party.

In our California Civil Harassment Orders section, we:

Revised Will the harasser be notified that I am trying to get a civil harassment order against him/her? to explain that if the petitioner has been unable to get the harasser served in person, and there is reason to believe that the harasser is avoiding (evading) service or cannot be located, then the judge can allow a different method of service that is “reasonably calculated” to actually notify the harasser.

In our California Custody section, we:

Revised How will a judge make a decision about custody? to explain that the judge must provide a way for the child to not be in front of his/her parents when talking to the judge to express his/her wishes. The judge can only allow the child to testify in front of his/her parents if the judge specifically believes that doing so is in the child’s best interest and explains his/her reasons why.

In our California Gun Violence Restraining Orders section, we:

Revised Who can file for a gun violence restraining order? and What types of gun violence restraining orders are there? How long do they last? to add the new individuals who can file a petition for this order, including a current or ex-roommate, dating partner, someone who has a child in common with the respondent, and more. We also added information about the expanded the definition of “immediate family member” to include anyone related by blood (consanguinity) or marriage (affinity) within the fourth degree who has had substantial and regular interactions with the respondent for at least one year to Who can file for a gun violence restraining order?

These changes are all based on legislative amendments that took effect 1/1/22 or 1/1/23; we regret the delay in updating WomensLaw.org.

Based on legislative amendments that became effective 1/1/24, we revised Can I get alimony? in our Connecticut Divorce section to add the fact that if pendente lite support is requested, a judge must hold a hearing within 60 days if the petitioner alleges that s/he doesn’t have enough money to meet his/her reasonable needs and that the other spouse has enough money to help do so. Spanish coming soon.

We updated a resource, Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services, on our Vermont Statewide Programs page in English and Spanish.

Based on 2023 legislative updates, we revised Will the judge always give equal parenting time? in our Missouri Custody section to add language explaining the rebuttable resumption in favor of equal or approximately equal parenting time. Spanish coming soon.

In our Montana State Gun Laws page, we revised the following four questions to add restrictions related to getting a permit to carry a concealed weapon:

Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We also added three related statutes to our Selected Montana Statutes page.

December 2023

We created the following new questions on our Idaho Custody page:

We also created a new Idaho Child Support page with the following two questions:

Finally, we added three related statutes on our Selected Idaho Statutes page.

We created a new Oregon Child Support page including the following five questions that provide information about Oregon’s child support laws:

We also added ten related statutes to our Selected Oregon Statutes page. Added in English; Spanish coming soon!

We created a new Child Support section for Louisiana, adding three new questions that provide information about Louisiana’s child support laws. We also added ten related statutes to our Selected Louisiana Statutes page.

We created a new Mississippi Child Support page including the following five new questions:

We also added five related statutes to our Selected Mississippi Statutes page.

We created a new Michigan Child Support section including the following four new questions:

We also added two related statutes to our Selected Michigan Statutes page.

Created in English; Spanish coming soon!

In our Nebraska Custody section, we added the following three new questions:

We created a new Nebraska Child Support section including the following three new questions:

We also added seven related court rules to our Selected Nebraska Statutes page.

In our Pennsylvania Custody section, we moved the questions about relocation to the subsection, After a custody order is in place, to be consistent with other states and make these questions easier to find. We also did the following to make the information in these questions clearer and more useful:

We created a new question, I have a custody order. Can I move with my child?
We revised How do I tell the other parent I want to move? to clarify when a parent has to send a “proposed relocation notice” and what information must be included in the notice.
We revised If the other parent objects to the move, what happens? to explain the next steps more clearly.
We revised What factors will the judge consider when deciding if I can move with my child? to make the information clearer and easier to understand.
We also revised What could happen if I don’t give proper notice to the other parent? to explain the different ways a judge might use this failure against a relocating parent. We also clarified how abuse can be a mitigation factor- a reason for the judge to “ease up” on the parent who moved without giving proper notice.

In the How the custody process works subsection, we revised What are the steps to file for custody? to be more comprehensive.

All changes were made in English; Spanish updates will be coming soon!

We created a New Mexico Housing Laws section including the following three new questions:

We also added two related statutes to our Selected New Mexico Statutes page.

Spanish coming soon!

On our Nevada Custody page, we revised and reorganized the following eight questions to provide more accessible information to users:

We revised What is legal custody? and What is physical custody? to include the definitions and citations to Nevada statutes and case law.
We revised What are the steps to file for custody? to be more comprehensive.
We revised How will the judge make a decision about custody?, Will the judge always give joint custody?, When will the judge give joint legal custody?, When will the judge give joint physical custody?, and When will the judge give primary physical custody to one parent? to be clearer and eliminate repetition in the questions.

We also created the following two new questions:

Spanish coming soon!

We added the steps to file for custody on our Puerto Rico Custody page. Spanish coming soon.

We completely revised and updated our Oklahoma Custody page to provide more accessible information to users. We also added two related statutes and rearranged the information to add these three new questions:

Spanish edits and translations are coming soon!

Based on 2023 legislative changes, we did the following:

In our North Dakota Divorce section, we created two new questions called:
- Can I get spousal support? What factors will a judge consider?
- If the judge orders spousal support, how long can I expect it to last?
In our North Dakota Custody section, we revised the following questions:
- How will a judge make a decision about custody? to reflect that the court investigator is now called a parenting investigator. We also added the fact that if both parents are indigent, the judge will issue an order that says the county where the child lives must pay the cost of the parenting investigator.
- How much does it cost to go through a custody proceeding? Do I need a lawyer? to reflect that the court investigator is now called a parenting investigator and that a guardian ad litem must be an attorney.

In addition, in our North Dakota Disorderly Conduct Restraining Orders section, we revised:

How much does it cost to get a disorderly conduct restraining order? to add the amount of the filing fee ($80);
Who can file for a disorderly conduct restraining order? to clarify that a minor must have his/her parent or guardian file on his/her behalf.

Lastly, we revised all six questions in our Steps to obtain a divorce in North Dakota in our North Dakota Divorce section. We also added two statutes to our Selected North Dakota Statutes section related to mediation and small claims court.

We added two new crimes, Voyeurism and Use of telephone to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, to our New Mexico Crimes page and our Selected New Mexico Statutes page. Changes made in English and Spanish.

On our Rhode Island Restraining Orders page, we added three new questions. We added How much does it cost to get a sexual assault protective order? to the Sexual Assault Protective Orders section. We added Can the person the order is against get his/her gun back? and Will I be notified if the gun is returned? to the Extreme Risk Protection Orders section. We also added two related statutes to our Selected Rhode Island Statutes page.

In our North Carolina Domestic Violence Protective Orders section, we did the following:

Created three new questions called:
Revised What protections can I get in a domestic violence protective order (DVPO)? to clarify that the protections regarding a pet also apply to a pet owned or kept by the abuser or a minor child living in the home; and
Revised What happens if the abuser violates the order? to add the fact that it can be a class A1 misdemeanor to violate the order. We also added a related statute to our Selected North Carolina Statutes page.

In our North Carolina Civil No-Contact Orders, we did the following:

Revised What protections can I get in a civil no-contact order? to clarify that the protections apply to temporary ex parte order too;
Revised Can I apply for a civil no-contact order if I am a minor? to add that a minor can file on his/her own;
Revised Am I eligible to file for a civil no-contact order? to include the fact that if the victim is “incompetent,” another competent adult who lives in North Carolina can file on behalf of the incompetent adult as long as s/he is victim of unlawful conduct that took place in North Carolina; and
Revised What happens if the abuser/stalker violates the civil no-contact order? to include the fact that the punishment for criminal contempt can be imprisonment up to 30 days, a fine of up to $500.00, or both.

Spanish coming soon.

On our New Jersey Divorce page, we added the question Will my divorce case be sent to mediation if I am a domestic violence victim? based on 2023 legislative changes to explain how the Domestic Violence Economic Mediation program work for victims of domestic violence litigating financial issues in a divorce. Question added in English; Spanish coming soon!

We revised our New Jersey Suing an Abuser for Money page in English and Spanish based on 2023 legislative changes that increased the limits for bringing a suit in small claims court.

On our New Jersey Restraining Orders page, we revised What if I don’t qualify for a restraining order? based on 2010 legislative changes that added electronic contact to the types barred by a criminal stalking restraining order. We regret the delay! We also added information about how a conviction for stalking automatically acts as an application for a permanent restraining order unless the victim requests otherwise. Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We updated the information for a resource, Crossroads Crisis Center, on our Ohio Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

On our Wyoming State Gun Laws page, we revised the following questions based on 2023 legislative changes that restrict the ability of someone to have a gun if they have committed a felony that is not violent in addition to a violent felony:

All changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

On our Wyoming Restraining Orders page, we revised Step 6: Hearing for a final order of protection based on 2023 legislative changes allowing for remote appearances if the petitioner requests it and the courtroom has the necessary technology.

On our Wyoming Divorce page, we revised Can I have my marriage annulled? based on 2023 legislative changes barring anyone under the age 16 from getting married and clarifying which other marriages can be annulled.

We added the crime of unlawful dissemination of intimate images to our Wyoming Crimes page. We also added one related statute to our Selected Wyoming Statutes page.

We added information about a new crime, Unlawful installation of a mobile tracking device, to our Nevada Crimes page, in both English and Spanish, and to our Selected Nevada Statutes page. This new state law, passed in 2023, criminalizes the act of putting an air tag on someone else’s vehicle.

We created a new Child Support section for South Dakota, adding seven questions that provide information about South Dakota’s child support laws. We also added thirteen related statutes to our Selected South Dakota Statutes page.

On our Kentucky Custody page, we updated the question Where can I find more information about custody in Kentucky? to add an additional resource. We also created three new questions:

We also added three related statutes to our Selected Kentucky Statutes page.

On our Nevada Restraining Orders page, we made the following changes based on 2023 legislative changes:

Revised What is the legal definition of sexual assault in Nevada? to clarify that it does not cover actions taken for medical purposes;
Revised What protections can I get in an order for protection against sexual assault? to add that a victim now has to request that a prosecutor inform them of the results of an abuser’s criminal trial for sexual assault;
Revised What are the legal definition so harassment, stalking, and aggravated stalking in Nevada? to update the definition of stalking; and
Revised Can the abuser’s gun be taken away in an order for protection against stalking harassment? to update citations for 2023 legislative changes and improve readability.

On our Nevada Custody page, we revised If there is a custody order in place, can I relocate? to make it clear that a parent cannot relocate without getting permission regardless of whether they have primary or joint physical custody.

All changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

On our Virginia Restraining Orders page, we made the following changes based on 2023 legislative changes:

Revised What protections can I get in a preliminary protective order? to add new provisions allowing a petitioner to be granted control of electronic passwords and protection from being electronically surveilled;
Revised What protections can I get in a final protective order? to add new provisions allowing a petitioner to be granted control of electronic passwords and protection from being electronically surveilled;
Revised Who can get a family abuse protective order? to add a provision allowing law enforcement or prosecutors to file a petition as the next friend of a minor being protected against their parent or guardian;
Revised How do I change or extend the permanent order? to add information about the judge being able to issue an ex parte preliminary order to be in effect until the hearing if the petition files to extend their order; and
Revised How do I change or extend the final protective order? to add information about the judge to issue an ex parte preliminary order to be in effect until the hearing if the petition files to extend their order.

All changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

Based on 2023 legislative amendments, we did the following in our Montana Custody section:

Revised the following questions to reflect the name change of the crime of “aggravated promotion of prostitution of a child” to “child sex trafficking” and to indicate that “deviate sexual conduct” now includes such conduct with a dead body:
Created a new question called If my parental rights were terminated, can I ever get my rights back? based on a newly-enacted law.

We also added the newly-enacted crime of “child sex trafficking” to our Selected Montana Statutes page and our Montana Crimes page. We also added a new law regarding reinstatement of parental rights to our Selected Montana Statutes.

Also, in our Montana Divorce section, we revised Where can I find additional information about divorce laws in Montana? to add a link to the State Law Library of Montana’s guide to divorce and custody.

In our Mississippi Crimes page, we added links to the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights and information on how to register for the VINE program, which are both found on the Mississippi Department of Corrections website.

In our National Organizations – Financial Info/Economic Empowerment section, we updated link to the Allstate Foundation’s educational empowerment page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our Utah Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for five resources on our Legal Assistance page and for one resource on our Legal Assistance for Abused Migrants page for Texas.

We updated the contact information for four resources on our Tennessee Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for two resources on our Pennsylvania Lawyer Referral Services page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our Oregon Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our Oklahoma Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for six resources on our New York Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our North Dakota Local Programs page.

On our Missouri Crimes page, we updated the link to the webpage of the Office of the Attorney General, which provides information on victims’ rights and services.

We updated the contact information for two resources on our Michigan Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for the resource on our Maine Lawyer Referral Services page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our Indiana Statewide Programs page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our Georgia Local Programs page.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our Local Programs page and two resources on our Legal Assistance page for Florida.

We updated the information for five resources on our Local Programs page and one resource on our Statewide Programs page for Colorado in English and Spanish.

We updated the contact information for one resource on our California Local Programs page.

On our Nebraska Restraining Orders page, we revised What protections can I get in a protection order? to include protections for household pets that were added in 2023.

Based on 2023 legislative amendments, we did the following in our Minnesota State Gun Laws section:

Revised What is the definition of a felony? to reflect the change in definition of a felony from imprisonment for “more than one year” to imprisonment of “one year or more;” and
Revised the following questions to add the fact that the law now prohibits someone who has an extreme risk protection order issued against him/her, either an emergency order or one issued after a hearing, from possessing firearms:

We also added links to divorce forms and small claims court forms on our Minnesota Download Court Forms page, and we added a link to small claims court forms to our Minnesota Suing an Abuser for Money page.

All changes made in English and Spanish.

We added six new crimes related to domestic violence, child abuse, invasion of privacy, and computer crimes to our Pennsylvania Crimes page in English and Spanish. We also added seven new related statutes to our Selected Pennsylvania Statutes page.

In our Michigan Restraining Orders section, we re-wrote the question Does it cost anything to register my protection order? to cite the federal law that prohibits charging a fee, and we updated the links to court forms in three other questions. In our Michigan Suing an Abuser for Money section, we added a link to small claims court forms on the Michigan courts website. Lastly, on our Michigan Download Court Forms page, we updated links to court forms for personal protection orders and added a link to court forms for small claims court. All changes made in English and Spanish.

We added a new resource, Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes, to our New York Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

In our Arkansas Housing Laws section we revised the question If I am a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, how does the law protect me? to clarify who is protected by this law. We added 3 new questions:

All changes made in English. Spanish coming soon!

On our New Mexico Custody page, we revised Who can file for custody? based on 2023 legislative changes that added a caregiver chosen by the Children, Youth and Families Department to the list of people who can file for kinship guardianship. We also rewrote this question to clarify who falls into the other categories on this list. Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We also added one related statute to our Selected New Mexico Statutes page.

We added 12 new crimes related to domestic violence, assault, invasion of privacy, and computer crimes to our Virginia Crimes page in English and Spanish. We also added 12 related statutes to the Selected Virginia Statutes page.

We added two victim’s rights laws to our Selected Maine Statutes page.

We revised seven questions on our Wisconsin Restraining Orders page to add information about having an injunction made permanent if the respondent has been convicted of sexual assault in the first, second, or third degrees, or repeated acts of sexual assault against a child:

We created three new questions on our Wisconsin Restraining Orders page to make it clear that a respondent can ask to have a permanent injunction modified or terminated if the crime they were convicted of is vacated:

We revised the following five questions on our Wisconsin Restraining Orders page to add information about combining a request for different types of injunctions into a single petition if the abuser is the same:

We revised two existing questions in our Wisconsin Domestic Abuse Injunctions section to add information about the ability to request a de novo hearing if a judge denies a request for an injunction:

We also created three new related questions on our Wisconsin Restraining Orders page based on this same information about requesting a de novo hearing:

All of these changes were made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We also revised the following two questions on our Wisconsin Restraining Orders page in both English and Spanish to improve clarity for our readers:

On our Wisconsin Crimes page, we added the crime of reckless first degree homicide in English and Spanish.

Finally, we also added three related statutes to our Selected Wisconsin Statutes page.

We created a U.S. Virgin Islands Workplace Protections page. It includes seven questions regarding employment protections for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. We also added a corresponding statute to our Selected U.S. Virgin Islands Statutes page.

We updated the contact information for four resources on our Virginia Local Programs page.

We reviewed the Massachusetts Child Support page to improve its readability level. We also added the questions:

Spanish coming soon!

We reviewed the Massachusetts Divorce page to improve its readability level. We also added the question What protections can I ask for while the divorce is pending? to provide additional tools for survivors divorcing the abuser and uploaded five new related statutes to our Selected Massachusetts Statutes page. Spanish coming soon!

We added Vermont to the list of states with an abusive litigation law on our Litigation Abuse page in both English and Spanish.

Based on 2023 legislative changes that created a remedy for abusive litigation, we added the following three questions to our Vermont Divorce, Relief from Abuse Orders, and Sexual Assault or Stalking Protective Orders sections:

In our Vermont Extreme Risk Protection Orders section, we revised the following questions based on 2023 legislative changes that now allow a family or household member to file for an ERPO in addition to the State’s Attorney or Office of the Attorney General:

On our Vermont Suing an Abuser for Money page, we updated the limit for claims in small claims court to $10,000 based on 2023 legislative changes.

We added the crime of aggravated human trafficking to our Vermont Crimes page.

Finally, we added nine related statutes to our Selected Vermont Statutes page.

On our Vermont State Gun Laws page, we revised the following questions based on 2023 legislative changes that created additional restrictions on someone having a gun if they have a stalking order against them, fled to avoid a criminal prosecution, or have charges pending for human trafficking, drug trafficking, or carrying a weapon while committing a felony :

Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

On our West Virginia Custody page, we created the following seven new questions:

We also added two related statutes to our Selected West Virginia Statutes page.

On our Oklahoma Restraining Orders page, we revised two questions to more accurately reflect that an adult crime victim seeking a protective order against someone who is not a family or household member is required to file a police report first:

These changes were made in English; Spanish coming soon!

Based on 2023 legislative changes, we did the following in English (Spanish coming soon):

In our Maryland State Gun Laws, revised I am a victim of domestic violence and the abuser has a gun. Is that legal? and If the abuser has been convicted of a crime, can s/he keep or buy a gun? to add that a person cannot have a gun if:
- s/he has been convicted on or after October 1, 2023 of the crime of child’s access to firearms in either of the following circumstances:
  - it is the second, third, fourth time, etc., that the person has been convicted of this crime; or
  - it is the first time that the person has been convicted of this crime and it resulted in the use of a loaded firearm by a minor causing death or serious bodily injury to the minor or another person;
- s/he is on supervised probation after being convicted of any of the following:
  - a felony;
  - driving while under the influence or impairment of alcohol or drugs; or
  - violation of a protective order.
In our Selected Maryland Statutes page, we added two crimes related to the above edits called ”Driving while under the influence or impairment of alcohol or drugs prohibited” and “Child’s access to firearms.”
In our Maryland Custody page, revised What is mediation? Is it ordered for victims of abuse? to add coercive control as a reason that a judge might not order mediation.

On our Alaska Custody page, we:

Revised What is custody? and What is joint custody? to clarify the definitions of legal and physical custody and to add citing references to the applicable case law, statutes, and court rules. We also added a related court rule to our Alaska Selected Statutes page.
Revised the title of In which state can I file for custody? to make it clearer that this question is about which state has the legal power (jurisdiction) to hear and decide a custody case. (This question was previously named Can I file for child custody in Alaska?)
Revised What are the steps to file for custody? to be more comprehensive.
Created the following five new questions:

We also created a new Alaska Child Support section with links to where to find information on child support in this state.

We translated into Spanish the Alabama Child Support, Custody, and Restraining Orders pages.

Based on 2023 legislative changes, we revised Am I eligible to file for a protective order? and What are the reasons (grounds) for getting a protective order? on our Oklahoma Restraining Orders page in English and Spanish to reflect the fact that child abuse has been added as a basis for someone to qualify for a domestic violence protective order.

On our Oklahoma Crimes page, we added 18 new crimes related to abuse and stalking. We also added 15 related statutes to our Selected Oklahoma Statutes page.

Based on 2023 statutory changes, we revised the information on the Puerto Rico Orders of Protection in Favor of a Minor. Among other things, the law now empowers other people who interact with the child to file for a restraining order for them and clarifies that a judge cannot give temporary custody to the Department of Family solely based on this petition. However, the judge will notify the Department of Family so that they can begin their investigation and intervention protocol. English coming soon!

We also added eight related statutes to the Puerto Rico Selected Statutes page.

We added six crimes commonly committed by abusers to our Puerto Rico Crimes page.

Based on statutory 2023 changes, we updated our information on the Puerto Rico Protection Orders for Domestic Violence page. The law now recognizes financial violence as part of the abusive behavior and includes additional protections that can be requested within the protection order. These include the abuser sharing financial information of interest to the victim or their children, not using shared financial resources inadequately, continuing to make rent or mortgage payments, and not interfering with the victim’s job. English coming soon!

We also added eight related statutes to our Puerto Rico Selected Statutes page.

We created a new New Hampshire Child Support section, including five new questions that provide information about New Hampshire’s child support laws. We also added seven related statutes to our Selected New Hampshire Statues page.

On our Oregon Crimes page, we added 17 crimes in English related to child abuse, sexual abuse, and stalking. Spanish coming soon!

We revised our Oregon Suing an Abuser for Money page in English and Spanish to clarify that any claim less than $750 is required to be filed in small claims court.

We also added 19 related statutes to our Selected Oregon Statutes page.

We added the crime called “Criminal liability and penalties for crimes of computer theft, trespass, invasion of privacy, forgery, and password disclosure” to our Georgia Crimes page, in English and Spanish, and to our Selected Georgia Statutes page.

We added 17 crimes to our Rhode Island Crimes page, including failure to pay child support, online impersonation, and video voyeurism. We also added 17 related statutes to our Selected Rhode Island Statutes page.

November 2023

On our Washington State Gun Laws page, we revised the following questions in English and Spanish based on 2022 and 2023 legislative changes that expanded the conditions that can bar someone from having a gun:

We revised these additional questions in English only:

Spanish coming soon!

We also added five related statutes to our Selected Washington Statutes page.

In our Washington Domestic Violence Protection Orders section, we added two new questions:

We also revised 23 of the 24 existing questions in this section based on legislative changes made in 2022 and 2023 that standardized the procedures for all of Washington’s different types of protection orders.

In our Washington Stalking Protection Orders section, we added 11 new questions based on these same 2022 and 2023 legislative changes:

We also revised the following five existing questions in this section for the same reason:

All changes to the Domestic Violence and Stalking Protection Orders sections were made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We added three new crimes of cyber harassment, interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, and hate crime offenses to our Washington Crimes page in English and Spanish.

Finally, we added 55 related statutes to the Selected Washington Statutes page.

Based on a new statutory section passed in 2023, we added the following questions:

Can my child’s medical care be covered in a child support case? to our Virginia Child Support page;
Can I use my child’s medical records as evidence in a custody case? to our Virginia Custody page; and
Can I submit proof of my medical treatment and costs as part of a request for alimony? to our Virginia Divorce page.

On our Virginia Restraining Orders page, we revised Step 4: The hearing to add the fact that the petitioner can prove family abuse by demonstrating the severity of injuries alleged through the use of medical records.

We also added two related statutes to our Selected Virginia Statutes page.

All changes made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We updated the information of the seven offices of Acadiana Legal Services Corporation in our Louisiana Legal Assistance page in English and Spanish.

On our U.S. Virgin Islands Restraining Orders page, we revised two questions in our The steps for filing a domestic violence restraining order section to more accurately describe the process and the name of the court where the filing is done.

On our U.S. Virgin Islands State Gun Laws page, we did the following:

Revised If the abuser has been convicted of a crime, can s/he keep or buy a gun? to clarify what crimes might prevent an abuser from having a gun; and
Revised I do not have a restraining order against the abuser and s/he has not been convicted of a crime. Can s/he have a gun? to clarify the conditions that may prevent an abuser from having a gun even if they have not been convicted of a crime or the victim does not have a restraining order.

We also added one related statute defining which drugs qualify as controlled substances for the purposes of preventing someone from having a gun to our Selected U.S. Virgin Islands Statutes page.

We updated a resource, Oasis, in our Louisiana Local Programs page in English and Spanish.

On our South Dakota State Gun Laws page, we revised What is the definition of a felony? based on 2023 legislative changes that substituted the term “correctional facility” for “penitentiary.”

On our South Dakota Crimes page, we added the crimes of aggravated battery of an infant, removal of child from state, eavesdropping, and window peeking on private property of another. We also added four related statutes to our Selected South Dakota Statutes page.

Based on 2023 legislative changes, we did the following:

In our Maryland Divorce section:
- Deleted two questions related to limited divorce based on the October 2023 abolition of limited divorce in Maryland;
- Revised What are the grounds for divorce in Maryland? to do the following:
  - remove references to limited divorce;
  - delete all fault-based grounds for divorce, the 12-month separation ground, and the insanity ground;
  - add the two new no-fault grounds for divorce, namely:
    - irreconcilable differences; and
    - if you and your spouse have lived separate and apart for at least six months, without interruption, leading up to filing the application for divorce; and
  - explain that a couple who lives under the same roof can still be considered living “separate and apart” if they pursue separate lives;
In our Maryland Custody section:
- Revised Do I have to notify the court if I want to move (relocate) with my child? to add that the judge must quickly schedule a hearing if the proposed relocation would significantly interfere with the other parent’s ability to maintain the current parenting time schedule.
- Created two new questions called If I fear the other parent may abduct my child, what can I do? and If the judge agrees that there is a risk my child will be abducted, what will the judge do?
Added five statutes related to abduction prevention orders to our Selected Maryland Statutes page.

On our Tennessee Custody page, we revised If the other parent is convicted of a serious crime, can I file to terminate his/her parental rights? to clarify that, based on 2023 legislative changes, a substantially similar crime against a child in another state can now provide a basis for filing to terminate parental rights.

On our Tennessee Restraining Order page, we did the following based on 2023 legislative changes:

Added financial abuse to What is the legal definition of domestic abuse?, as well as revised what other actions qualify as domestic abuse for the purposes of getting a protection order; and
Revised What is the legal definition of stalking? to add a single instance of a harasser using an electronic tracking device to the definition of a “course of conduct” that constitutes harassment.

These changes were made in English; Spanish coming soon!

We also added six new crimes related to abuse and stalking to our Tennessee Crimes page in English and Spanish, and we added six related statutes to our Selected Tennessee Statutes page.

Based on 2023 legislative changes, we did the following in English (Spanish coming soon!):

In our Maine Custody section:
- Revised If my child was conceived from a sexual assault, can the offender’s rights be terminated? to add the considerations the judge must take if allowing parent-child contact with a sexual assault offender.
- Created a new question called If my child was conceived due to nonconsensual removal of a condom, can the offender get parental rights?
In our Maine Protection From Abuse Orders page, we revised What is the legal definition of abuse in Maine? to add the fact that nonconsensual removal of or tampering with a condom is now a ground for getting an order.
In our Maine Suing an Abuser for Money page, added information about being able to sue someone in civil court for nonconsensual removal of a condom, misrepresentation of condom use, tampering with the condom so that it is ineffective, or purposefully using a damaged condom. We also added the related statute to our Selected Maine Statutes section.

On our District of Columbia Child Support page, we added four new questions in English (Spanish coming soon!):

We also added three related statutes to our Selected District of Columbia Statutes page.

We translated into Spanish the question When can a judge order that a parent be drug tested? on our Indiana Custody page.

On our Texas Restraining Orders page, we added two new questions in English (Spanish coming soon!):

On our Texas Child Support page, we added four new questions in English (Spanish coming soon!):

We also added six related statutes to our Selected Texas Statutes page.

We created a new Guam Child Support section, including the following five new questions in English that provide information about Guam’s child support laws:

We also added 10 related statutes to our Selected Guam Statues page.

In our North Dakota Protection Orders page, we added two new questions:

We updated the resource on our New Mexico Lawyer Referral Services page. We also added a new resource, Modest Means Helpline, to our New Mexico Legal Assistance page. Changes made in English and Spanish.

We updated a resource SAFE on Main, formerly the Abuse and Rape Crisis Shelter, on our Ohio Local Programs page, in Spanish in English.

On our Ohio Download Court Forms page, we updated the link to stalking protection order form and to the main forms page of the Ohio Courts website. Changes made in English and Spanish.

In our About Abuse – Information for Teens and Young Adults section, we updated links to the organization Loveisrespect. Changes made in English and Spanish.

We translated into Spanish our Missouri Download Court Forms page.

We translated into Spanish our Minnesota Download Court Forms page.

In our About Abuse - Financial Abuse section, we updated links to the Identity Theft Resource Center and the National Association of Crime Victims Compensation Board. Changes made in English and Spanish.

We updated the link to parenting plan forms on our Tennessee Download Court Forms page.

We translated into Spanish the Maine Custody and Restraining Orders pages. Now the Spanish translation of the Maine Legal Information section is complete! That makes Maine the 34^th state to be completely translated into Spanish on our website!

Based on 2023 legislative changes, we did the following:

In our Louisiana Custody section, we revised If my child was conceived as a result of rape, can the offender get any rights to my child? to change the language from proving the offender committed ”felony rape” to a “sex offense.” We also added a related statute to our Selected Louisiana Statutes page.
In our Louisiana Divorce section, we revised Can I get spousal support? to clarify that the mental health professional who would evaluate whether there was domestic violence must be licensed and that they must have experience in the field, whereas previously the law said that the person had to be “an expert” in the field.

We also revised If the abuser’s gun is taken away, what will happen to it? in our Louisiana State Gun Laws page to add the fact that a judge can order the transfer of firearms and suspension of a concealed handgun permit based on a conviction for ”domestic abuse aggravated assault,” “aggravated assault upon a dating partner,” and any felony “crime of violence” when the victim is a family member, household member, or dating partner. This was based on a 2019 legislative change; we regret the delay in adding this information.

We also added a firearm-related statute and a sexual assault-related statute to our Selected Louisiana Statutes page.

We translated into Spanish the Maine Child Support, Divorce, and Housing Laws pages.

On our U.S. Virgin Islands Crimes page, we added eight new crimes related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. We also added nine related statutes to our Selected U.S. Virgin Islands Statutes page.

We translated into Spanish the Maine Crimes and Suing an Abuser for Money pages.

We translated into Spanish the following in our Florida Legal Information pages:

Recent English revisions to How will the judge decide if I am “in immediate danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence?” in our Florida Injunctions for Protection Against Domestic Violence page.
Recent English revisions to six questions in our Florida State Gun Laws page.

In our Florida Custody page, we translated into Spanish recent English revisions to the following questions:

In our Florida Divorce page, we translated into Spanish recent English revisions to What types of alimony are there? and Can I get alimony? What factors will a judge consider? We also translated the question Under what circumstances can an alimony award be modified or terminated?

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