Good Bill Filed Addressing Consent, Date Rape in Arkansas Code

Legislation,

A new bill at the Arkansas Legislature would help address consent and date rape in Arkansas code.

H.B. 1141 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R – Elm Springs) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R – Springdale) clarifies the definitions for “consent” and “forcible compulsion” in Arkansas’ laws regarding sexual offenses.

It also amends Arkansas code concerning sexual assault of a person who is incapacitated by drugs or alcohol to make it clear that it does not matter if the person consumed the drugs or alcohol willingly.

In practice, this will help clarify Arkansas’ laws concerning date rape.

H.B. 1141 also amends Arkansas’ laws concerning child molestation, sexual assault, and incest to say that perpetrators can be prosecuted regardless of whether or not their victims consented to the sexual conduct. This will help keep certain sexual predators from evading prosecution.

This is an issue that Family Council has worked on for many years. In 2001 we supported passage of Act 1534 that made it illegal to manufacture or possess gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a designer drug linked to date rape.

Legislation like H.B. 1141 helps further strengthen Arkansas’ laws to stop sexual predators who target their victims with drugs or alcohol.

You Can Read H.B. 1141 Here.

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House Rules Committee Unanimously Passes Bill Protecting Children From Internet Pornography

Legislation,

On Wednesday the House Rules Committee unanimously passed legislation to help protect children from pornography online.

S.B. 66 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R – Centerton) requires pornographic websites to implement an age verification process to protect children from pornography.

This good bill passed with nearly unanimous support in the Arkansas Senate earlier this month. On Wednesday it passed unanimously in the House Rules Committee as well.

S.B. 66 requires pornographic websites to verify users are 18 or older using a government-issued ID or another commercially available age-verification method.

In practice, this means porn sites would rely on IDs like a driver’s license to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online.

Websites that violate S.B. 66 would be held liable under the law.

Similar legislation has been offered in other states.

Technology has given children unprecedented access to pornography. Among other things, pornography is believed to contribute to mental health problems.

S.B. 66 would help address this problem in Arkansas.

Now that the bill has passed in the House Rules Committee, S.B. 66 goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

Below is a list of the members of the House Rules Committee:

  • Representative DeAnn Vaught
  • Representative Shad Pearce
  • Representative Frances Cavenaugh
  • Representative Carol Dalby
  • Representative Matt Duffield
  • Representative Jon S. Eubanks
  • Representative Kenneth B. Ferguson
  • Representative Lanny Fite
  • Representative Mike Holcomb
  • Representative Lane Jean
  • Representative Stephen Magie
  • Representative Jeremiah Moore
  • Representative Milton Nicks, Jr.
  • Representative Dwight Tosh
  • Representative Jeff Wardlaw

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Committee Passes Bill to Let Human Trafficking Victims Take Traffickers to Court

Legislation, ,
Above: Family Council staff member Charisse Dean (left) and Sen. Irvin (right) testify in support of S.B. 282 in committee.

On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that creates a civil cause of action for human trafficking victims in Arkansas.

S.B. 282 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R – Mountain View) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) makes it easier for victims of human trafficking to sue their traffickers and those who profited from the trafficking.

Besides being criminally liable, S.B. 282 makes it clear that a person is civilly liable in court if they engaged in human trafficking or if they knew or should have known that a victim was being trafficked, and if they benefitted from the trafficking.

A motel in Springdale made headlines last year after a lawsuit revealed that the motel permitted a teenage girl to be trafficked at the motel over the course of three years.

It is possible that the crime might have been discovered much sooner if the motel’s management had not facilitated the human trafficking.

Human traffickers should go to prison, and those who aid or abet human trafficking should be held accountable. S.B. 282 will help do exactly that.

Family Council is pleased to support this good bill.

S.B. 282 now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.

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