HB2766: Protective orders; violation of child protective order, penalties.

Legislative Summary

Violations of protective orders; child protective order; penalties. Changes the punishment and sentencing requirements for a violation of a preliminary child protective order and a protective order entered in a dispositional order related to abused, neglected, or abandoned children or children without parental care to the same penalties as violations of preliminary, emergency, and permanent family abuse protective orders, including enhanced penalties for certain violations. Under current law, (i) the maximum penalty for violations of child protective orders constitutes contempt of court; however, if the violation involves an act or acts of commission or omission that endanger the child's life or health, or results in bodily injury to the child, it is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor and (ii) the court is not required to enter a permanent family abuse protective order (i.e., a protective order with a maximum duration of two years) upon a conviction of a violation of a preliminary child protective order.