News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
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For Release: IMMEDIATELY, April 30, 2017
Contact: Mike Fraser, office: (518) 455-3751/cell: (518) 859-8518
Kolb To Heastie: Bring Brittany's Law To The Floor; Stand Up For The Victims Of Domestic Violence
"We Have A Moral & Ethical Responsibility To Defend The Rights Of Those Who May Struggle To Defend Themselves."

Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C,I,Ref-Canandaigua) has called on Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to bring the life-saving Brittany's Law to the floor for a vote. If enacted, Brittany's Law would create a registry of violent offenders similar to the sex-offender registry created under "Megan's Law."

On Monday, the Assembly is expected to vote on a package of bills aimed at providing assistance to crime victims. However, Brittany's Law is not among the bills being considered.

"We have a moral and ethical responsibility to defend the rights of those who may struggle to defend themselves," Leader Kolb wrote. "Domestic violence is a scourge on our society and presents an issue that must be addressed through decisive action. It is time we do our part to combat this epidemic. Brittany's Law is personally significant to me and has widespread support in both houses of the Legislature."

Brittany's Law (A.6609) is named after Brittany Passalacqua, who was only 12 years old when she and her mother, Helen Buchel, were murdered in 2009. The killer, John Edward Brown, was on parole following his incarceration for violently assaulting his infant daughter in 2003. With information about Brown's violent past, Ms. Buchel could have avoided the ensuing tragedy.

Leader Kolb has been a co-sponsor of Brittany's Law since 2011. The measure has received bipartisan support and passed in the Senate seven times by overwhelming margins. It is currently sponsored by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, a member of the Majority Conference.

A copy of Leader Kolb's letter to Speaker Heastie is available here: http://bit.ly/2oR79TD