Sen. Lynda Wilson says there’s a new reason to believe the measure will become law in 2020, on its third try
OLYMPIA — The Tiffany Hill Act is on its way to the state House of Representatives following a unanimous vote today by the state Senate.
Sen. Lynda Wilson says there’s a new reason to believe the measure will become law in 2020, on its third try: the compelling story of the Vancouver mother of three who might still be alive if she’d had access to the real-time electronic victim-notification technology Senate Bill 5149 would promote.
“If Tiffany could have received an alert on her phone in real time, she would have known that her estranged husband was closer than her protective order allowed him to be, and she could have taken steps to protect herself and her kids. When I tell that to people they immediately grasp the purpose of this legislation,” explained Wilson, R-Vancouver.
The 35-year-old military veteran died after being shot in her vehicle, in front of her children, in the parking lot of their elementary school in Clark County on Nov. 26. Her estranged husband fatally shot himself following a police pursuit.
In 2018, the Senate unanimously approved the policy, but it stalled in the House committee on appropriations. Wilson is cautiously optimistic that the bill will receive a more positive reception now that its value, particularly to women who are victims of domestic violence, is easier to understand.
“For the past two years it’s been me making the argument for this change, but now there’s a former Marine sergeant out on point,” said Wilson, referring to Tiffany Hill. “And if that isn’t enough already, the people who loved her are not about to rest until we get this done. The Tiffany Hill Act needs to become law this year so it can start helping others.”
Several of Hill’s Clark County friends, including one who testified on behalf of the bill Jan. 16 before the Senate Law and Justice Committee, were present for the Senate vote Friday (Jan. 31).
For more information, visit www.LyndaWilson.src.wastateleg.org
