Maine’s Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would remove the statute of limitations for sex trafficking of minors and the commercial sexual exploitation of minors.
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The bill, LD 2207, would eliminate the 20-year statute of limitations for commercial sexual exploitation or aggravated sex trafficking of a minor who was under 18 at the time the crime was committed.
The bill will not apply retroactively and will only impact criminal acts committed after it goes into effect.
Current law already provides no statute of limitations for several other sexual offenses against minors.
Committee Chair Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth) is listed as the sponsor of the bill, but it was actually put forward by the committee based on a recommendation from the Criminal Law Advisory Committee.
Rep. Kuhn clarified that by putting forward the bill, the committee is not necessarily endorsing it and that the intention was to simply allow the bill to be considered.
A representative of the Criminal Law Advisory Committee appeared to answer the committee’s questions about the proposal but did not provide any testimony.
Carly Fisher testified in support of the bill on behalf of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
“This bill represents a logical next step in the legislature’s ongoing work to ensure Maines’ statutes of limitation reflect both the seriousness of commercial sexual exploitation of children and the realities faced by minor victims,” said Fisher.
No one appeared to testify against the bill.
After the brief hearing, the committee took a caucus break to consider moving directly into a work session on the bill; however, the committee ultimately decided to hold the work session at a later date.
