BILL EXTENDING TIME LIMITS FOR PROSECUTING SEX CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN PASSES THE SENATE
Legislation would greatly extend the statute of limitations on prosecuting child sex abuse cases
For Immediate Release: February 26, 2019
Contact: Chris Nordstrum (415) 601-1992
(Santa Fe) Today, Senate Bill 55, a measure that would extend the statute of limitations for certain sexual crimes against children, passed on a 24-15 vote on the Senate floor.
It is often difficult for victims to come forward to report sex offenses, and can be made even worse when the perpetrator is an authority figure and the victim is a frightened, traumatized child. Some people do not report abuse as children because they fear their abuser or feel ashamed of what happened to them at the time. With the current statute of limitations in place, unfair pressure falls on victims to report crimes before the clock runs out. Victims should be given the chance to come forward when they are ready to do so.
“I appreciate the vote of support from my Senate colleagues today that will advance this important legislation to give victims of sexual abuse the opportunity to address these crimes against them,” said the bill’s sponsor, Senator Jeff Steinborn (D-36- Doña Ana). “Our current statute of limitations is inadequate and clearly in need of being strengthened and this legislation will do just that.”
Abrianna Morales, a high school student from Las Cruces, has been working with Senator Steinborn on the bill. Morales is the founder of the Sexual Assault Youth Support Network (SAYSN), a community organization that is dedicated to the support, empowerment, and connection of youth sexual assault survivors. “The current statute of limitations implies that after a certain point, a sexual assault survivor’s story expires. The experience and subsequent devastation caused by sexual assault never goes away, it never becomes stale, it never expires,” says Morales. “By passing this bill, the state of New Mexico would be taking the first step to cultivating a community where all youth sexual assault survivors feel able to come forward.”
Morales continues, “Senate Bill 55 will provide survivors the ability to heal and come forward at a time that is appropriate for them. Though this bill does not guarantee a trial or a conviction, it guarantees that the state will, at the very least, acknowledge these crimes for what they are. Because no perpetrators should be able to look at their calendar and know that after a certain date, they will get away with such a heinous crime.”
Currently, thirty-seven states have no statute of limitations on prosecuting child sexual abuse.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.
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