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Committee hears proposal to raise penalties for repeated sexual-assault offenses
Summary
Sen. Jeremy Trebis proposed increasing fines and jail terms for first, second and third offenses of simple sexual assault and adding second offenses to registry definitions; lawmakers raised concerns about youth conduct, prosecutorial discretion and public-defender capacity.
Senate Bill 348 would raise penalties for simple sexual assault: the sponsor said the first-offense fine would increase from $500 to $1,000 and jail from six months to one year; a second offense would carry fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail; and a third offense would carry a jail term up to 10 years. The bill would also amend the sex-offender registry definition to include second offenses.
Senator Jeremy Trebis said the change seeks proportionality and stronger consequences for repeat offenders. Committee members asked whether a second misdemeanor conviction should trigger registry obligations and whether the bill could unintentionally criminalize commonplace teenage conduct. Representative Staffman warned that the statutory definition of "sexual contact" can include touching over clothing and that increased penalties could affect youth and burden public defenders.
The sponsor acknowledged prosecutorial and judicial discretion and indicated technical amendments are possible (including restoring a missing word in the draft). The hearing record shows questions about workload for defenders and the fiscal note; the committee did not take final action during the hearing.
