The 'Westworld' actress, along with a team of survivors, has successfully helped push a proposed California bill that extends the statute of limitations for domestic violence felony crimes.
- October 11, 2019
AceShowbiz - Evan Rachel Wood's proposed bill to give domestic violence survivors a voice has been signed into law.
Wood, along with a team of survivors, collaborated with Assembly member Eduardo Garcia and Senator Susan Rubio on the Phoenix Act - a bill in California that extends the statute of limitations for domestic violence felony crimes from three years to five years.
The "True Blood" star's fight for the change began within the California legislature, after she was denied justice in her own domestic violence case that began when she was just 18. Despite suffering years of mental health issues and a suicide attempt following the incident, she was unable to press charges because the statute of limitations had run out.
However, on Monday, October 7, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law, with the actress taking to Instagram to celebrate the achievement.
"We hit a huge milestone today, the #PhoenixAct passed unanimously out of the Senate Public Safety committee!" she enthused. "There’s a long way to go, we need similar in the Assembly, but it feels so good to be heard and I am proud of all the survivors that used their voices."
Not only does the bill extend the statute of limitations to press charges from three years to five years, it also expands training requirements for police officers to help them properly identify survivors of domestic violence without causing additional harm.
The "Westworld" star has been an outspoken supporter for abuse victims in recent years after revealing she had been raped twice by a significant other during her teens, and sexually assaulted by a bar owner on a separate occasion.
