COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill honoring a Shaker Heights teacher who was killed by her ex-husband is back in the spotlight after previous attempts to get it passed failed.
Aisha Fraser was murdered in 2018 by Lance Mason, who previously served as an Ohio state senator and later a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge. He stabbed her to death in broad daylight in front of their daughters.
Ohio state Reps. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) are primary sponsors of House Bill 486, known as "Aisha's Law." They're hoping the third time is the charm following two prior attempts that saw the measure stall in the State Senate.
Getting the law passed is personal for Brent, who went to church with Fraser.
"When I used to see her when I was a teenager, I remember asking somebody a question: 'Don't you think something's going on with her face because she's always wearing that makeup?'" Brent said Tuesday during a House Criminal Justice Committee hearing. "She was right there in plain sight being abused by a person, at the time, who was my state senator."
Video below from 2019:
Ohio lawmakers want to make sure what happened to Fraser doesn't happen to any other family.
"Unfortunately, incidents of domestic violence occurs (sic) in every corner of Ohio, and in far greater numbers than are often realized," Carruthers testified.
Aisha's Law would create emergency protection orders for domestic violence victims if the courts are not available. It would also make sure police officers are better equipped to respond to domestic violence complaints.
"It is so critical that we pass this legislation to make Ohio a safer place and to let victims know that we care about them and that there is hope and that we support them," Carruthers said.
Despite past roadblocks, there is some hope for HB 486 this time around. House Criminal Justice Committee members are planning to work with the two primary sponsors this summer to fix the language to then bring it to the House floor for another vote. If it passes, it goes to the Ohio Senate, which also must approve it before it goes to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk.
Read the entire bill below: