Senator urges immediate funding for victim services after fatal domestic-violence case

A senator from Mecklenburg used the morning hour to urge immediate legislative and administrative action to strengthen prevention and victim services in the wake of the reported murder of Dr. Serena Fairfax.

On the floor the senator said shelter denials rose from 792 in 2023 to 1,083 in 2024 and that hotline responses fell from more than 78,000 calls and texts answered in 2022 to about 68,641 in 2024, attributing the drop to staffing shortages rather than reduced demand. She also said in-person advocacy services to adults and children declined year over year.

"We need to make prevention and intervention of domestic violence and the full funding of victim services an immediate top priority," the senator said, urging colleagues to act. The floor remarks combined personal testimony—she identified as a survivor—with those statewide figures to press for policy and funding priorities.

The Senate did not vote on a specific funding measure during the morning hour. The senator asked colleagues to prioritize victim services as the General Assembly continues work in the special session.