NJ SAFE DATING LAW A2920 Passes in Full Senate Vote 37-0!

     What a great day it was on Monday March 21, 2011.  I got the honor of sitting on the voting floor in the New Jersey Senate Chambers and watching them vote on A2920 the NJ SAFE DATING LAW.  It was unanimous 37-0.  It brought tears to my eyes & joy to my heart!  I proposed the SAFE DATING LAW to Assemblyman Bucco just last May 2010, then testified for the Assembly & Senate, and now I can't believe it has been passed in less than a year.  What an impact this will have on kids in NJ, as well as across the nation.  There is nothing more important than learning how to have a healthy relationship, whether it is with yourself, your family, friends, or significant others.  A2920 will do exactly this.  The SAFE DATING LAW requires all public middle & high schools grades 7-12 to add SAFE DATING to their annual health curriculum, as well as develop a dating abuse policy for the school district.  NJ kids will be educated about what a healthy relationship is and is not and what to do if they suddenly find themselves in an abusive dating situation.  1 in 3 teens is reported by Liz Claiborne/Love is Not Abuse to be in an abusive dating relationship. 
     I am the NJ State Action Leader for the national organization Love is Not Abuse and also the owner of Express Yourself Today Counseling Center in Chester, NJ, which specializes in dating abuse & date rape treatment. http://www.expressyourselftoday.com/   I have written 3 great books on SAFE DATING- "7 Secrets for Girls", "Teen Talk for Parents", and "Safe Dating for College Women".  I believe that no matter how good the rest of your life is...relationships trump everything else.  I am so happy that the Republicans & Democrats worked together to pass the NJ SAFE DATING LAW.  Now let's hope Governor Christie signs off quickly, so we can get A2920 put into action.  A great big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the NJ SAFE DATING LAW and every single person who has supported me in my work with teen dating abuse.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
In your Safety,
Dari Dyrness-Olsen
http://www.safedatingcoach.com/