Beshear signs sexual abuse law

This from the Courier-Journal:

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Steve Beshear [Monday] signed into law a measure toughening the penalties for sexual abusers and those who fail to protect them.

The bill is the first Kentucky legal reform to follow the scandals of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and other religious and civic organizations earlier this decade.

“Over the last decade, we have all been outraged and horrified by the revelation of wretched and sometimes avoidable sexual crimes by those in positions of power in religious and education institutions,” the governor said.“Today we hear and answer the voices of the victims of those crimes.”

The bill makes virtually all types of sexual offenses against minors felonies, which means they carry tougher penalties and can be legally prosecuted whenever the victim comes forward, even decades after the fact.

Advocates say it often takes victims that long to come to terms with their abuse.Previously some types of sexual offenses, such as fondling, were misdemeanors when children 12 and older were involved, meaning they could not be
prosecuted more than a year after the victim turns 18. Other offenses, such as rape and sodomy, were already felonies regardless of the age of victim and perpetrator, and they remain so.

House Bill 211 — which passed both houses without dissent earlier this year — takes effect 90 days from the end of the legislative session, scheduled for tomorrow.The bill galvanized a broad coalition of supporters, including the state’s Catholic bishops and the Kentucky Baptist Convention, representing the two largest religious bodies, as well as Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Family Foundation of Kentucky...