BANGOR, Maine — A bill has been proposed by Sen. Stacey Guerin, R-Glenburn, after a woman in her district was killed in July.
Renee Henneberry Clark was denied a protection order against her accused killer.
Guerin tells NEWS CENTER Maine that Henneberry Clark's daughter, Bethany Henneberry and her mother's attorney reached out in hopes to fix the loophole.
"I know they had hoped it'd be called Renee's Bill," Guerin said. "But in the Maine legislature, they have a policy of not naming bills after specific people so that wasn't possible. But they do want to make sure no other family suffers the loss they have suffered, you know, what a tragedy for their family."
The current law states that someone can file a protection from abuse order on a blood family member or someone who lives in their home.
Because Henneberry Clark's brother-in-law Philip Clark wasn't a blood relative, she was denied the order by a judge.
Another layer to the proposed bill would require judges to tell people if they have filed for the wrong protection order.
Henneberry Clark would have likely been granted a protection from harassment order.
There has not been a public hearing scheduled for this bill.