Anyone With Two Or More Convictions for Family Violence Will Be Added To This List on January 1

Texas is an interesting state, some think the state is moving backward with some of the decisions made by our government.  However, in other areas, they are moving forward.

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The world of dating and relationships will be a little safer in Texas next year as a bill passed in Texas that requires a database of those with two or more felony convictions of intimate partner violence convictions, including assault, sexual assault, and stalking.

House Bill 5202

HB 5202 passed the Texas House and Senate in May 2023, and Governor Abbott signed off on HB 5202 on November 6, 2023.  HB 5202 went into effect immediately.

According to the Fort Worth Report, The Texas Department of Public Safety will maintain the database, and the database must be designed and live by January 1, 2024.  Like the current Texas Public Sex Offender Website, this new website will contain the offender's name, picture, date of birth, aliases, and description.  It will also list the offenses, date of convictions, punishments, and current status.

The fact is that domestic violence happens in all types of families, and statuses, and in every racial, religious, and age group.   Intimate partner violence doesn't just happen to women, men are also abused. More than 12 million people are affected by intimate partner violence each year, that includes 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men 18 and older.

With a database available to anyone in Texas, it will give people the opportunity to find out if a person they just met will be a safe person to date.   Most abusers don't stop the abuse.  It is a cycle that will continue.