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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah House Minority Leader David Litvack says he will continue work on legislation to protect teens against dating violence.
Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, says there will be a bill introduced in a future legislative session that would let teens 16 or older get court protective orders to keep someone they fear away from them without having to consult parents.
The person named in the order would then get a hearing and a judge would decide whether to keep it in place or dismiss it.
Similar bills have died in the three previous legislative sessions.
Utah and 10 other states do not have such a law, and opponents say parents should be part of any court action involving minor children. They also say they worry about teens seeking a court order over something minor like an argument.
Information from: Deseret News
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
