At the elementary school, just steps away from where a special education teacher was stalked and killed, Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law on Saturday Rep. Roger Goodman’s HB 1383, named after Jennifer Paulson.

“Police, prosecutors and judges now have an important new tool to hold stalkers accountable and protect victims,” Goodman said. “Jennifer Paulson’s parents have been an inspiration to me and after working hard with them for years we’re finally able to put a law into place to prevent the kind of tragedy that took Jennifer’s life.”

Goodman convened a Domestic Violence Working Group for several years to tackle the issue of stranger stalking. He worked with defense attorneys, prosecutors, victims, advocates and law enforcement to draft the new law.

“As a prosecutor, this bill makes my job easier by taking significant steps to identify stalkers and deter stalking behavior,” said David Martin, head King County Prosecutor for Domestic Violence.

The Jennifer Paulson Protection Order Act will create a new a stalking protection order, similar to sexual assault and domestic violence protection orders. This will give law enforcement better options to stop stalkers, more protections for victims and harsher penalties for perpetrators