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Committee hears bill to expand protections for minors and increase penalties in sex‑abuse and trafficking cases
Summary
Representative Jeff Coleman presented House Bill 615, a package that would expand age thresholds and hearsay exceptions to aid prosecution of child sexual abuse and trafficking and would increase penalties in related offenses.
Representative Jeff Coleman introduced House Bill 615, which he described as a measure to strengthen criminal‑justice protections for minors and vulnerable people in sexual‑abuse and trafficking cases and to enhance prosecutorial tools.
Coleman told the committee that the bill would raise certain age thresholds—extending protections beyond the current cutoff at 14—and allow statements taken at resource centers (audio or video) to be used when minors would otherwise be required to testify in court. He described increased penalties for patronizing prostitution, proposed restitution authority for victims, and changes to the way restitution and funds are distributed for human‑trafficking response.
"This bill is extremely…
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