Governor signs anti-domestic violence bill, extends protection for keiki

Gov. Neil Abercrombie (center) stands with Second Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Becky Vogt (left)... — Gov. Neil Abercrombie (center) stands with Second Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Becky Vogt (left) and Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar after signing HB1993 into law.

Gov. Abercrombie signed House Bill 1993 into law on Friday.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The bill was introduced by District 14 Representative Derek Kawakami at the request of the County of Kauai Office of the Prosecuting Attorney. House Bill 1993 extends domestic abuse protections by making it a felony to abuse a family or household member while a juvenile under the age of 14 is present.

Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar thanked Rep. Kawakami for his hard work in guiding the bill through both houses of the legislature, "It is our mission to seek justice for all victims of domestic violence, and thanks to the hard work of our Kaua'i legislative delegation, each of whom supported this bill, and our local law enforcement partners, we have another way to execute that mission."

"As I said in my State of the State Address in January, 'Crimes against our common humanity will not be tolerated in Hawaii,'" Gov. Abercrombie said. "I commend the Legislature for addressing many areas of criminal justice as we work together to protect our citizens, especially our keiki."