Sex assault prevention bills approved by Michigan House
The Michigan House passed 27 bills on Thursday in response to the sexual abuse cases involving Larry Nassar, the imprisoned former sports doctor who once worked for Michigan State University and USA Olympics.
Here is a look at what some of the bills would do:
- Extend the time limit for filing lawsuits for juvenile victims until their 28th birthday or within three years of realizing they had been abused. The cutoff is now generally their 19th birthday. Adult victims would have 10 years to sue instead of what is now generally three.
- Lengthen the statute of limitations to 15 years instead of 10 to bring criminal charges in second- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. If DNA is uncovered, there would be no time limit.
- Add athletic trainers, physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to the state's list of people who must report suspected child abuse or neglect to authorities.
- Require that a second health professional be in the room when a procedure involving vaginal or anal penetration is performed on a minor, require written parental consent before such a procedure is done and require that related medical records be kept for at least 15 years.
- Increase penalties in some child pornography cases.
- Expand the admissibility in court of a defendant's prior sexual misconduct in some cases.
- Require that students in 6th through 12th grade receive information on sexual assault and harassment.
- Require schools that learn of a job applicant's inappropriate behavior with a minor to report it to the state.
- Specifically add reports of sexual abuse, assault or rape to the state's confidential OK2SAY tip line for students. It now
- Create a state office to oversee how colleges deal with sexual assault prevention and advocacy.
- Boost penalties for physicians, psychologists and other ''mandatory reporters'' who are required but fail to report abuse.
- Direct the state, in consultation with advocates, to create training materials for mandatory reporters.
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Source: House Fiscal Agency
