A crime bill to benefit children and victims of domestic violence is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis after passing both houses of the Florida legislature with support from the family of slain travel blogger Gabby Petito and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The Protection of Children and Victims of Crime bill passed unanimously in the state House and Senate on Wednesday.
"We are thrilled to see the child welfare and lethality assessment Bill 1224 pass in the state of Florida," Petito's father, Joe Petito, told Fox News Digital. "It's a significant milestone in the fight against domestic violence."
After his daughter's murder in 2021, he and other family members and supporters started the Gabby Petito Foundation to battle domestic violence and raise awareness of missing person cases. They have lobbied for bills at the state and federal level, supporting the bipartisan Help Find the Missing Act, as well as measures in Utah.
The Florida bill aims to establish a lethality assessment protocol (LAP) in the state, a procedure for law enforcement to quickly evaluate whether a domestic violence victim faces imminent danger, serious injury or even death.
In its Florida form, the LAP consists of 12 questions police must ask the victim when responding to a domestic violence call.
FLORIDA GOV RON DESANTIS SIGNS LAW WITH BIG POTENTIAL IMPACT ON EPSTEIN CASE
Two weeks before her murder, police in Moab, Utah, responded to a domestic violence call in which a witness reported seeing her fiance and travel companion Brian Laundrie hitting her in public and trying to drive off without her.
Although she was clearly overwhelmed and upset, police made no arrests and instead split the couple up for the night. A LAP evaluation could have saved her life, according to her parents.
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The following questions must be asked in "the same or similar wording" and in the same order:
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If the victim answers yes to questions 1-4, or yes to at least four of the remaining questions, law enforcement is required to refer them to a certified domestic violence center. The officer must also create a written report indicating the results of the LAP.
