Joyful Heart in the News

A California lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations on rape and some sexual assault cases, joining a handful of other U.S. states that have made the same move.

State Sen. Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino, said Monday that when the new legislative session begins in January, she will propose scrapping the 10-year statute of limitations on rape cases. The proposed bill would also apply to sexual assault cases involving lewd or lascivious acts, child sexual abuse, oral sex and sexual penetration.

"A sexual predator should not be able to evade legal consequences in California for no other reason than that the time limits set in state law have expired,” she said Monday in a press release. “Victims should have the opportunity to prove their accusations in a court of law, even if it is over a decade after the offense was committed."

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