In our previous post, we continued a lasting discussion of now former State Senator Scott Bundgaard and his run-in with the law last February for a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend. His ex accused Bundgaard of domestic violence, and he ultimately pleaded no contest to misdemeanor endangerment, having consistently denied wrongdoing.

The drama that the Arizona incident sparked continues. As the last post says, Bundgaard gave up his governmental position. He didn't believe that the Senate Ethics Committee was prepared to give him a fair chance at defending his name and position. But the focus on the domestic violence matter continues, with two bills going before legislature that sources suggest were specifically inspired by the high-profile matter.

According to The Arizona Republic, the very senator who requested that Bundgaard sit before the ethics committee is sponsoring the two legislative bills related to lawmakers' arrests and domestic violence in Arizona. The following is a breakdown of the general ideas behind both legislative proposals

Senate Concurrent Resolution 1007

When officials arrived at the scene of the domestic dispute involving Bundgaard and his ex last February, they couldn't arrest the senator. There is a law that prohibits the arrest of lawmakers during the legislative session. They can only be arrested for crimes related to their position as lawmakers, meaning that an allegation of domestic violence didn't result in Bundgaard's arrest. This bill seeks to do away with that law.

Senate Bill 1027

This proposal seeks to give those who plead guilty or no contest to any misdemeanor domestic violence charge stricter sentencing, including required treatment and education regarding domestic violence, supervised probation, at least two days in jail and a fine of at least $50.

It's important to emphasize that pleading no contest is essentially not the same as pleading guilty. It can be a way to avoid prolonging a criminal case. In Bundgaard's case, he likely wanted to get his name out of the limelight and move on with his life. That, as the continued posts about him make evident, has not been very easy for him to do.

Source

The Arizona Republic: "Insider: Bundgaard still inspires at the Capitol,"Alia Beard Rau, Jan. 10, 2012