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| | | An Act To Ensure the Safety of Victims of Domestic Violence |
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| | | Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts of the Legislature do not become | | effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as | | emergencies; and |
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| | | Whereas, privacy and confidentiality are critical to the safety | | of a domestic violence victim, and disclosure of information that | | directly or indirectly reveals the identity and location of a | | victim who has sought domestic violence services can create a | | serious risk of physical harm to the victim or to the victim's | | family members; and |
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| | | Whereas, it is necessary to protect the privacy of victims of | | domestic violence and, in doing so, clarify that privileged | | communication between a victim and a domestic violence advocate | | includes the personal identifying information of that victim; and |
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| | | Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create | | an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and | | require the following legislation as immediately necessary for | | the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, | | therefore, |
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| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 16 MRSA §53-B, sub-§1, ķA-1 is enacted to read: |
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