INDIANAPOLIS—As Indiana lawmakers prepare for the next legislative session, three proposed pieces of legislation will revolve around sex crimes: one pertains to human trafficking, another to grooming, but the one that got the most attention during a Courts and Criminal Code Committee meeting earlier this month could change the statute of limitations for certain sex crimes.
”These survivors deserve justice,” State Rep. Mitch Gore (D-Indianapolis) said.
State Rep. Mitch Gore, who serves on that committee, said lawmakers are working on legislation that could give thousands more Hoosier sex crime survivors a chance to take their case to court.
”Survivors of sexual assault and child molestation are asking that they get the same opportunity we’ve already created for some other survivors,” State Rep. Gore said.
A similar bill passed in the Senate last session, but failed to get a hearing in the Indiana house.
Currently in Indiana, if a rape occurs with a weapon, or results in serious bodily injury, that’s classified as a Level 1 felony, meaning there’s no statute of limitations. However, if the crime takes place without a weapon, or does not result in serious bodily injury, that’s classified as a Level 3 felony, meaning there is a five-year statute of limitations.