Posted: March 11, 2013 at 8:31 pm
Here’s How Montana Legislators Marked International Women’s Day
by Cowgirl
On the eve of International Women’s Day, Montana legislators voted down a measure to increase the penalty for domestic violence. Meanwhile, they offered strong support for bills to increase the penalty for trespassing.
Under current law, a first domestic violence offense is punishable with a $100 fine and a night in jail. But last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary committee killed a bill by Democratic Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy that would have increased the minimum penatlies for domestic abuse from to $250 and the jail time to 72 hours for the first offense. (SB 362)
The bill failed 5-7 with all Republicans except Jennifer Fielder voting no.
Sen. Larry Jent, D-Bozeman voted with the Republicans against increasing the penalty for domestic violence. Jent said he opposed increasing the fines because he thinks the current law is already too severe because it prohibits spousal abusers from owning guns. TEA Party GOP Sen. Jennifer Fielder pointed out to Jent that the new bill had nothing to do with gun ownership (she would know)–to no avail. You can here the discussion here-fast forward to about 2:17:00
Compare this striking legislative view of justice for women with a bill for justice for property owners. Republican Sen. Eric Moore’s SB 299 would levy a $1500 civil fine for the first trespassing offense. That bill has already passed the Senate.
Another by Republican Rep. Alan Redfield increases the minimum fine for a second trespassing offense to $500. Redfield’s House Bill 147 passed the house by a wide margin committee and will be heard in the senate committee tomorrow, Tuesday, March 12.
Those who voted against raising the penalty for wife beating: Wittich, Sales, Boulanger, Brenden, Vincent and Murphy.
Here’s how other republican legislators describe Scott Sales:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_f0c12c0c-6f6a-11df-8025-001cc4c03286.html
I meant to add, this was in the same article where the people defending this turdo were Dan McGee and Tom McGillvray of the God Squad.
Well, what da know, mug shots of assholes. Should be posted in every women’s bathroom in the State…..
Well I agree with you there. The sequester is gonna be bad enough on women and women services, on a national level…. but adding to the crazy, in our state is just bad Politics that will be remembered by women in 2014.
Lets see this end ladies, enough of having ourselves, and sisters treated like second class citizens.
Mixed up priorities.
This reminds me of when the man who raped a sheep got more jail time than the man who raped a woman (Bozeman).
Ya know, that only applies in Wyoming.
Anybody who thinks that losing guns is too big of a penalty has not been a person who has been terrorized with guns in the home. Maybe not true of all domestic violencees, but many….