Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has introduced five new bills to the Assembly to crack down on sexual assault and protect its victims. These new bills will stiffen the penalties for sexual assault, especially when a child is the victim.

More specifically, the five pieces of legislation she has authored will:

• Establish criminal penalties for sex offenders who fail to provide DNA samples or register as sex offenders (A.682).
• Create a graduated hierarchy of child pornography offenses to provide for higher penalties and assist law enforcement in the face of evolving technology (A.760, A.803).
• Bring the penalties for prostitution offenses involving children in line with the penalties for other sex crimes involving children to stiffen the penalties for prostitution offenses with children victims (A.802).
• Expand the crime of “sexual abuse” and the definition of “sexual contact” to include the act of causing another person to touch him or herself or to insert a foreign object into certain areas of the body (A.3641).

Two years ago, Assemblywoman Paulin passed the law eliminating the statute of limitations for rape, which she identifies as one of her proudest accomplishments in the Assembly. This new legislation clearly builds on that law and adds to her impressive body of work dealing with sexual assault crimes.

“I am very excited to introduce this important legislation to the Assembly this year,” said Paulin. “Everyone knows someone, whether a family member or a friend, who has been a victim of sexual assault, and these people deserve to be protected and have their voices heard,” she added.