The statute of limitations as it stands now is 10 years or the victim's 21st birthday--whichever comes later. That means if an eight-year-old is sexually assaulted, they would have until they are 21 to go to court, versus a 15-year-old, who would have until ten years after the assault.
It's an effort to make it easier for victims to come forward after they've been sexually assaulted and seek justice, something that is extremely hard to do.
"I think it's incredibly difficult to come forward as a survivor of sexual assault," says Tashmica Torok.
She knows, because she is a survivor.
She's one of many in favor of a bill giving police more time to file charges in sexual assault cases:
"I think giving survivors time to determine what justice looks like for them and when and where they would like to share their story is always going to be an important thing for survivors," Torok explains.
The bill itself passed the state senate unanimously Tuesday.
Senator Steven Bieda (D-Macomb) says it needs to happen:
"It's a passion of mine to see a system of justice that actually is a system of justice," Bieda says with a smile.
The bill eliminates the statute of limitations for second degree criminal sexual conduct when the victim is younger than 16., and adds another ten years for third degree criminal sexual conduct.
That makes it 20 years, or the victim's 31st birthday--again whichever comes later.
"I think it's really important for a sense of justice, for a sense of closure, for a sense for a victim to have his or her day in court to confront their [attacker] and to really take some bad people off the street that shouldn't be there," describes senator Bieda.
For survivors like Torok, they think this is a great start, but she hopes there's still more to come:
"We know that by extending the statute of limitations will protect the community today," she points out. "We'll have survivors that will want to go through that process, and then we will have perpetrators that will go to jail. But if we're really going to end child sexual abuse, then we have to also think about what happens after."
Torok wants some form of rehabilitation for those sent to prison for sexual assault. That way, if they're out on parole, she thinks it will do even more to prevent sexual assault.
