‘Jennifers’ Law’ moves ahead — but with a new name
A bill aimed at expanding the definition for domestic violence in Connecticut has been combined with another proposal and is headed to the full state Senate — but without the names of the two women who advocates say inspired it.
The bill was first introduced as Senate Bill 1060, or Jennifer’s Law, after Jennifer Dulos, the New Canaan mother who vanished in May 2019 and whose estranged husband was charged in her death and disappearance.
However, the bill, which was introduced by state Sen. Alex Kasser, D-Greenwich, was seen as too narrow in scope, state lawmakers have said.
Last month, it became known as Jennifers’ Law
when it included Terryville resident Jennifer Magnano in its namesake.
The broader domestic violence bill became SB-1091 and passed the state judiciary committee on Thursday with a 34-4 vote.
“I’ll continue to fight to ensure the opposition doesn’t gut the legislation and get it passed in the Senate and the House before June 9, when session ends,” Kasser said Friday. “This was a victory, but there are still miles to go.”
Lawrence Cook, a spokesman for Senate Democrats, said the combined bill is now officially named “An Act Concerning a Study of Criminal Laws of This State.” The names of the two previous bills will not be included.
“People colloquially called the name Jennifer’s Law, but that’s not an official title,” said State Rep. Steve Strafstrom, D-Bridgeport, who chairs the judiciary committee.
“Certainly, advocates can refer to the bill any way they want,” he said, noting the two widely publicized cases that inspired the bill were “part of the reason” the General Assembly is seeking to address domestic violence during this session.
However, he pointed out there are “hundreds” of other domestic violence cases around the state that he said “don’t get headlines in the newspaper.”
Kasser said Friday she was not aware the name was being dropped. Kasser said she refers to it as “Jennifers’ Law” “to honor the women we’ve lost — Jennifer Magnano, Jennifer Dulos and hundreds of others — as well as the thousands of (domestic violence) survivors in Connecticut.”
Kasser called domestic violence a public health epidemic. She said she is determined to change the laws and culture so survivors are “heard, believed and protected.”
“So many brave survivors told their stories and testified in support of ‘Jennifers’ Law,’” Kasser said. “I honor them and will do everything I can to pass this legislation.”
Stafstrom said Connecticut has seen “an uptick in domestic violence” during the pandemic.
During a public hearing in March, many domestic violence survivors — including actress Evan Rachel Wood — testified in support of passing the bill. Kasser praised them, saying they testified “at their own risk — risking further harm and retaliation.”
Kasser worked on the bill with state Sen. Mae Flexer.
“This bill continues our more than decade-long effort to improve our state’s response to domestic violence,” Flexer said. “Over the past years, our neighbors facing domestic violence have dealt with unprecedented obstacles to escape abusive situations.”
The bill includes non-physical forms of abuse, known as coercive control, including gas-lighting, isolation, blackmail, financial abuse and threats to take away children. It would also require courts to prioritize the safety of children in any case involving domestic violence accusations.
SB-1091 also would allow survivors to apply for restraining orders electronically and would require notification to victims that they can testify in family court proceedings remotely when they have a restraining or protective order.
Steven Eppler-Epstein, interim CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the bill is critical to provide comprehensive protection for domestic violence survivors statewide.
“We hear firsthand the struggles they face accessing vital protections that can increase their safety,” Eppler-Epstein said. “Because Connecticut’s domestic violence laws have always relied heavily on physical violence or threats of physical violence, there were few options to protect them from this type of abuse. Senate Bill 1091 fixes that while also strengthening other key safety provisions for survivors.”
The bill was originally named after two Connecticut women who police have said were killed in domestic violence situations.
The bill was named in part after Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five who disappeared on May 24, 2019, after dropping off her kids at school in New Canaan. Her body was never recovered, but police said she has been presumed dead based on blood and other evidence found in her garage.
Police said they believe she was the victim of a violent assault in the garage of her home, where her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, was accused of “lying in wait” when she returned from dropping off their children, according to arrest warrants in the case.
The two were embroiled in lengthy divorce proceedings at the time of the disappearance.
Fotis Dulos died in a suicide in January 2020 while facing murder, kidnapping and other charges in the case.
The bill was also inspired by Magnano, who police said was killed in a murder-suicide by her ex-husband in 2007 following a prolonged divorce.
Two of Magnano’s children, Emily Thibeault and David Magnano, told the nonprofit Connecticut Protective Moms that they support the bill and hope it will help others.
“Having experienced coercive control both as a child and as an adult, I did not know I was being abused because it didn’t fit the description I had learned,” Thibeault said. “If these behaviors had been defined as abuse under the law, I would have known what was happening to me was wrong.”
David Magnano said he’s hopeful the bill could bring real change and retraining for those who help survivors.
“To me, the most important outcome would be for judges, lawyers, police and anyone who deals with domestic violence victims, to be retrained to understand all the variety of tactics abusers use to destroy their victims, not just the physical violence,” he said.