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Michigan House of Representatives passes sex abuse crimes bill, but leaves key parts • Michigan Advance

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Parts bills that have long been abandoned Last week, a marathon session of the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation to extend the statute of limitations for reporting sexual assault and eliminate government immunity from civil lawsuits involving public schools and colleges that do not deal with sexual violence.

This was a fight for progress on these ‘Nassar bills,’” said state Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.) Michigan’s Progress just before 3am after HBs 4485, 4486 AND 4487 was passed largely along party lines and with Democratic support.

Since 2017, lawmakers have introduced “Nassar bills” that are intended to prevent another tragedy like the Larry Nassar case, in which more than 200 girls told the world how the former Team USA and Michigan State University gymnastics doctor sexually abused them during his decades-long career in sports medicine. Nassar was sentenced to three life sentences by a federal court and two state courts in 2017 and 2018 for sex crimes and child pornography.

Some of Nassar’s bills have won the governor’s signature in the last four legislative sessions since his convictions. But some, like the bills Brixie is now pursuing, have been left on the back burner year after year.

“We feel really good that we’ve come this far. We have a lot of work to do. This is a big first step. We’ve learned a lot and there’s been a lot of people who have helped us along the way,” Brixie said.

Michigan State University is in her district, and as an alumna, she said she is ready to see the justice system better serve victims of abuse and that institutions cannot hide behind immunity when they should be held accountable.

State Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.), February 15, 2023 | Laina G. Stebbins

But the bills that passed the House and will need to be approved by the Senate before they can be considered by the governor have been changed since they were filed, with some removing key provisions and others making it harder to pass.

After move in, HB4485 proposed a change that would eliminate time limits for Michigan residents to report criminal sexual assaults (CSC) and seek criminal prosecution against perpetrators. Several states have removed statutes of limitations for reporting sex crimes, According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

In the state of Michigan, there are four levels of criminal sexual conduct (CSC), starting with fourth degreewhich is punishable by up to two years in prison and up to first degreewhich can result in a life sentence. Only the first degree of CSC has no statute of limitations in Michigan. The second and third degrees, which are felony offenses, set the limitation on seeking criminal charges at 10 years from the commission of the offense, unless the person was a minor, in which case they are up to 15 years from the commission of the offense, or until the age of 28, if this falls later.

Instead of eliminating the statute of limitations for second- and third-degree sexual offenses, substitute HB 4485 was added during the June 26 session to extend the statute of limitations for all second- and third-degree CSC benefits to the victim’s 42nd birthday, if that falls after the 15-year period.

In response to the change from no statute of limitations to an expanded statute of limitations, bill sponsor Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Belleville) said: Michigan’s Progress in a written statement that he hopes that the second half of the package, HBs 4482, 4483 AND 4484could soon be put to a vote to make significant changes to the law.

“Extending the statute of limitations to adulthood reflects the reality of what we know about these types of crimes. In some cases, it can take years for abuse and/or assault to be reported, and my bill will ensure that victims have a path to justice,” Miller said.

The Michigan Domestic & Sexual Violence Prevention & Treatment Board supported HB 4482-4487 when the package was introduced. Because of all the changes that have been made to the bills, the board cannot provide an official position on the status of the package at this time, said board Chairwoman Libby Pollard Hines.

“We have generally supported bills that allow more victims to go through this process, but these bills are different than the ones that the Council considered,” Hines said.

Three bills in the package that were not put to a vote, HBs 4482, 4483 AND 4484would extend the civil statute of limitations for victims of sexual violence to sue their perpetrators. Current law gives victims three years from the time they realize they have been a victim of a crime, or their 28th birthday, whichever is later. The bills would extend the statute of limitations to 10 years from the time a claim arises, seven years from the time a person realizes they have been a victim of a crime, or their 52nd birthday, whichever is longer.

Although there have been efforts to extend the statute of limitations for civil cases involving compensation for sexual violence, bipartisan Brixie’s office said that despite previous efforts, the bills are the most controversial part of the package, though he believes they will pass the House of Representatives when it reconvenes after the summer break.

“The House only passed House Bills 4485-4487 before the summer recess. Three other bills in the original package would have sought to further extend the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits based on sexual assault and therefore were subject to more controversy. We believe the rest will be passed in the fall,” said Martti Weaver, who handles constituent services for Brixie. Michigan’s Progress.

‘Long awaited’: Whitmer signs bills supported by sexual assault survivors

Without HB4482no HB4486 AND HB4487which deal with Michigan Government Immunity Shield in relation to civil cases related to sexual violence, they can become law because Both he became after their introduction, they were attached to the draft bill.

HB 4486 AND 4487 would strike from existing Michigan laws the provisions protecting the state public universities, colleges or school districts and employees from lawsuits seeking compensation if the institutions or their employees knew about sexual assault and failed to take action reasonable action.

Many women and girls who provided victim impact statements in the Nassar case said they reported abuse Police and to MSU officials AND Trainersbut the abuse continued.

A group of parents of Nassar abuse victims, called Parents of Sister Survivors Engage (POSSE), is continuing its years-long call for lawmakers to hold institutions like MSU accountable for protecting their communities from predators. POSSE reported Achievement The statement said the group has been asking individual lawmakers for months to take up the entire package of six bills and hopes lawmakers will not abandon the bills again.

“Since the 2018 MSU child molester case, there has been some progress for survivors and lawmakers are encouraging them to take a stronger stance on child sexual abuse in our state. House Democrats have passed several bills, and we must pass the remaining statute of limitations bills as well,” POSSE said in a statement. “We need accountability from institutions that create cultures where predators exist and add deterrents. Let’s stop paying lip service to solving this abhorrent problem and make Michigan safer for children.”

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