FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Currently, in Kentucky, abusers can potentially use public government records to find the new addresses of their victims, according to Secretary of State Michael Adams and Sen. Julie Raque Adams.
Unlike 38 other states, which provide alternate "masking" addresses for public records to help protect victims of abuse and stalking, Kentucky offers little help. Currently, the Secretary of State’s Address Confidentiality Program is limited, according to Secretary Adams. It requires a protective order to participate. It also just hides victims' addresses from only the voter rolls.
As a result, the program has fewer than 50 participants.
"It's time to do more," said Adams.
So, Adams and Raque Adams are pushing for passage of the Safe at Home Act. The bill could better protect victims of domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking.
The bill, SB 79, would bolster the Secretary of State’s Address Confidentiality Program "by allowing victims of domestic violence to participate in the program without a protective order, and to mask their addresses on publicly available government records, beyond just the voter rolls."
“Not only does Kentucky continue to have a high number of child abuse cases, we also have the second-highest rate of domestic violence among the 50 states. Forty-five percent of women and 36 percent of men in Kentucky have experienced domestic violence,” said Raque Adams. “It’s a privilege to bring forth Senate Bill 79, Safe at Home legislation, to expand Kentucky’s ACP with thoughtful legislation that protects victims and provides them some degree of peace once relocating after a harrowing experience.
"For those who live in daily fear that their ex-partner will somehow find them - SB 79 and the Safe at Home program will provide a valuable tool to helping them stay safe," explained Angela Yannelli of the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
“Today’s world of technology, internet searches, and the wealth of personal information stored in public records databases can make it that much more difficult, sometimes even impossible, for a survivor to keep their location private,” she added.
How would the program work?
Adams explained that it would essentially just be an application. But in lieu of a protective order, participants would sign a sworn statement. The program would be administered by the Secretary of State’s Office. Participants in the program would use the Safe at Home address in place of their actual physical address for a state-registered address.
