House Passes 'Joshua's Law'

The House of Representatives voted 325-3 to pass "Joshua's Law," which establishes a crime of domestic violence in New Hampshire law.

The legislation is named after 9-year-old Joshua Savyon, a boy killed by his father in a murder-suicide at a YWCA in Manchester that resulted from a domestic dispute in 2013.

Becky Ranes of Amherst looked on from the House gallery as state representatives overwhelmingly passed the bill named after her son.

The new section of "Domestic Violence" is a Class A misdemeanor, unless the person uses or threatens another with a deadly weapon, which would be a Class B felony.

Read the bill.

Gov. Maggie Hassan called Joshua's Law a significant step to keep families and communities safe.

"I applaud the House of Representatives for its overwhelming bipartisan support of this common-sense measure to establish a crime of domestic violence," Hassan said in a statement. "By taking this important step, we will help law enforcement and prosecutors better identify and stop repeat abusers, while providing victims with access to support and protections as early as possible."