House Bills propose Registry of Repeat Domestic Abusers…

A bipartisan effort to create a registry of individuals convicted of repeated domestic violence is ready for consideration by the full Missouri House.

Bills sponsored by Representatives Ann Kelley (R-Lamar), Raychel Proudie (D-Ferguson), and Tiffany Price (D-Kansas City) would define "persistent domestic violence offenders," and require those convicted after January 1, 2027 to be placed on the new registry. It would work much like the existing sex offender registry, but with no address.

"This registry will be accessible for public inquiry, allowing communities to be informed and vigilant. While the privacy of offenders will be respected by excluding personal identification details, the community will have access to the information that could save lives," Kelley told the House Committee on Crime and Public Safety. "By investing in these programs, we can break the cycle of violence and foster a safer environment for our families."

Kelly's bill is called "Adriana's law," for Adriana Horton, a 12-year-old girl from Golden City, who was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered by a habitual domestic abuser.

"'I named this proposal Adriana's Law because I refuse to let her become just another statistic. Her name should not only be remembered in grief, but in prevention, accountability, and action. This law ensures that when we say her name in this chamber, it is tied to protection, not just tragedy,'" Kelley said, quoting a statement from a constituent.

Proudie's legislation is similarly named for Brianna Johnson of Wentzville, a mother of two who was pregnant with twins when she was murdered by a persistent domestic abuser in October, 2023.

"It was another individual who had a lot of things in their background as it relates to rape and abuse, and yet were allowed to be out in the community to continue to commit these types of violations to another person's human rights," Proudie told the committee. "We can attach so many people's names to this because this is a persistent public safety issue. It's not just public safety and then domestic violence. Domestic violence is a public safety issue."

Price shared her own story of escaping abuse with her children.

"From 2011 to 2016, I lived under constant fear. Domestic violence was just not physical; it was coercive control, sexual coercion, and economic instability. Every decision I made was about survival, not choice. Sometimes compliance is safer than resistance. Survival decisions are not consent; they are calculations under threat. I used to make notes and hide them all around the house with all of his information on it stating that if anything happened to me, he was responsible."

Price said that story is not just hers.

"Locally, Kansas City had 19 domestic violence homicides last year, and KCPD South Patrol has started tracking offenders, but it's not enough. On that list, one offender has 31 domestic violence reports filed since August, and another has 17 reports, six since August. These numbers show the urgent need for preventative measures. [This legislation] is that step. It ensures warning signs are taken seriously, survivors are supported, and systems provide timely protection."

House Bills 3058 (Price) and 2997 (Proudie) were combined into Kelley's House Bill 3012 (Kelley) and passed out of the committee on a unanimous 17-0 vote. After clearing a second committee on Thursday morning, the legislation can now come up for debate in the full House.

These bills follow the creation of a registry in Tennessee which went online on January 1. In its first 41 days online, nearly 40,000 people had already visited that registry. Proudie said the legislation is modeled after what was passed by legislators there, and that it would only be applied to those who have already been the subject of due process.

"This is for persistent offender individuals who have either pled or have been found guilty of domestic violence, with ways in which they can get off the registry over time," Proudie said.

"'A domestic abuser registry is not about revenge; it is about transparency. It is about informed consent in relationships. It is about stopping repeat offenders from moving quietly from victim to victim, home to home, and state to state," Kelley testified.

Proudie agreed, adding that she has been asked whether the registry is about shaming the individuals who would appear on it.

She told the committee, "This is not about retribution, shame, or embarrassment, but like I said this morning, if that's what these individuals feel when placed on this registry, that is an appropriate feeling for them to have. Because treating individuals like this is shameful. It is embarrassing and it's something that they should absolutely be ashamed of."

The legislation would also create a "Domestic Violence Prevention Fund," and a prevention program that would award grants using money from that fund, to support prevention and intervention services. The fund would be supported by $50 out of a registry fee of $150, to be paid for by each registrant.

The bill would create time frames for an offender to be removed from the registry. Its provisions would expire in 2032, and terminate the following year unless renewed by the General Assembly.