A bill that would allow victims of domestic violence to break their leases without having to pay a penalty won final approval Thursday.

The Georgia House of Representatives voted 166-0 to pass House Bill 834, which is designed to help family violence victims escape their abusers.

Legislators say victims shouldn't be trapped in a violent relationship just because they can't afford to move out.

The measure would allow a tenant to terminate a residential lease 30 days after providing a landlord written notice when a judge has issued a protective order in a family violence case.

The bill now advances to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.

Never miss a minute of what's happening in Georgia Politics at PoliticallyGeorgia.com.

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Rodney King (left), volunteer with New Georgia Project, and Corbin Spencer (right), field director of New Georgia Project, help Rueke Uyunwa register to vote in 2017. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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Scott Jackson (right), business service consultant for WorkSource Fulton, helps job seekers with their applications in a mobile career center at a job fair hosted by Goodwill Career Center in Atlanta. (Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC)

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