The House passed House Bill 307, Iryna’s Law, with a bipartisan vote 81-31. It now goes to Governor Josh Stein’s desk. 

Rep. Tricia Cotham spoke in favor of the bill, saying “The catch and release of violent offenders will end today… This heinous act was preventable and is a direct result of judicial officials being too soft on crime and allowing too many criminals to have a revolving door that come into our neighborhoods, and into our communities.”

Majority Leader Rep. Brenden Jones added, “This is a step to right what we can do in this state. We owe it to [Iryna]. We owe it to the people in this state to do the right thing.”

Rep. Sarah Stevens shared on the floor, “A bond is not just to ensure that you’re going to appear in court. It’s to ensure that the community is safe… Somewhere along the way some of these magistrates have forgotten that.”

Iryna’s Law is a vital step in improving the pretrial process that has been so often abused by liberal judges and magistrates in recent years.