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Domestic violence victims could escape more easily under Georgia bill

2/28/18 - Atlanta -House members vote on one of many bills considered on crossover day. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

2/28/18 - Atlanta -House members vote on one of many bills considered on crossover day. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM
By Mark Niesse
March 8, 2018

Victims of domestic violence would be able to break their leases without an early termination penalty, according to a bill that recently passed the Georgia House of Representatives.

The legislation, House Bill 834, would make it easier for family violence victims to escape their abusers, said Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta.

"All too often, victims of domestic violence are asked, 'Why didn't you leave?' And often, it is because they couldn't afford to," Holcomb said in a House speech last week. "This bill makes it possible for them to leave."

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R-Canton, allows 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 House voted 166-0 to approve HB 834 on Feb. 28. The bill is now pending in the state Senate.

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About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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