Georgia lawmakers push to eliminate statute of limitations on rape

ATLANTA - A group of state lawmakers wants to do away with the statute of limitations on rape in Georgia.

"It's basically an arbitrary line and it's something we ought to get rid of for something this serious," explained Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, the bill's primary sponsor.

Under current state law, a prosecution for rape, aggravated sodomy or aggravated sexual battery must occur within 15 years of the crime. Although, there is an exception for cases where the offender is later identified through DNA testing.

Sen. Jones' bill would completely eliminate the statute of limitations for any rape or sexual assault that occurs on or after July 1, 2021.

"I think it shows persons that look, we take this just as serious as we do something like murder because when you think about the impact it has on the victim and the victim's family, it is that big of an impact," said Sen. Jones. "So, we want to actually eliminate the statute of limitations and hopefully we can get that done."

Executive Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, Pete Skandalakis, said he supports the measure.

"I think it is important," said Skandalakis. "With today's technology and today's developments, you have cases that can be solved a lot later than when they occur and it's something that needs to be done."

Sen. Jones said the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a similar bill last year, but it never made it to the full Senate for a floor vote. While there have not been outspoken critics of the idea, Sen. Jones said some of the expressed concerns that it could lead to more false reports.

"My argument to that is this--number one, it's still going to be beyond a reasonable doubt. That's always the case. Number two, the time period does not help the person who's coming forward. It hurts them actually," Sen. Jones explained.

The bill was set to have a hearing on Monday afternoon, but it was canceled. Sen. Jones said it will likely be rescheduled for next week.

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