A bill that would help sexual assault survivors track their rape kits through the legal process has been pulled from consideration in the lame duck session of the legislature.
The bill was introduced in August, as rape kits were a big topic in the governor’s race. Speaker Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) had said the bill was a priority.
But he now says it was pulled because Democrats wanted to amend the bill with an elimination of the 20-year time limit on filing charges and on civil lawsuits in rape cases.
“It’s a very emotional issue, and frankly, it’s something that we need to talk more about, and I’m willing to talk about it and we’re willing to work on it going forward. That’s why I’m frustrated that we just stopped a very good bill from going over to the Senate and continuing the process," Smith said.
Democrats say their amendments would have fit with this rape kits bill, and they wanted them because their bill to eliminate the 20-year statute of limitations on rape introduced in May hasn’t gotten a single hearing.
