Brief Description: Tolling the statute of limitations for felony sex offenses.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Senator McCaslin).

Senate Committee on Judiciary
House Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections

Background: The criminal statute of limitations limits the time period during which a suspect may be charged with a crime. The time period begins at the time the crime is committed. For murder, homicide by abuse, arson that causes a death, vehicular homicide, vehicular assault if a death results, and hit-and-run when a death results, there is no time limitation and the person may be prosecuted whenever he or she is apprehended. There are various periods of limitation for other felonies. Gross misdemeanors may be prosecuted no more than three years after they are committed and for misdemeanors the time limitation is one year.

Summary: For all felony sex offense cases, the time period for the statute of limitations begins to run on the date the crime was committed or one year from the date on which the identity of the suspect is conclusively established by DNA testing, whichever is later.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      47   0
House      97   0

Effective: June 7, 2006