NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The House Civil Justice Committee approved “Safe at Home” legislation this week to help survivors of domestic violence, rape, human trafficking, stalking and other crimes who have relocated or are about to relocate, in their effort to keep their abusers from finding them.
House Bill 2025 will allow victims to take back their lives by preventing an abuser from locating them through public records searches and inflicting additional harm.
The Safe at Home program provides victims with a government-managed substitute address for both themselves and their children, which can then be used to obtain a driver’s license, register to vote and complete most other government forms without disclosing the participant’s home address.
Participants may also request that other non-governmental entities, like employers or private businesses, use this address as well. The Secretary of State’s office will receive all mail sent to the substitute address and then forward that mail to the participant. The program has been implemented in more than 35 states across the country.