18 April 2005

Governor signs bill to protect children from predators, pornographers
Bill also sets minimum statute of limitations for all crimes at five years

As part of continuing efforts to protect Kansas children, Governor Kathleen Sebelius today signed into a law a bill that toughens the penalty for indecent solicitation of a child. It also sets the minimum statute of limitations at five years, instead of the current two, for most crimes.

“We have an absolute duty to protect our children, and that means putting child predators and child pornographers behind bars. This bill will help law enforcement do just that,” Governor Sebelius said.

The bill, SB 147, raises the penalty for indecent solicitation of a child from a severity level 7 person felony to a severity level 6 person felony. In many cases, this would make prison, not probation, the presumptive penalty. It also clarifies the definition of child pornography so that prosecutors can seek additional charges against offenders for each piece of pornography, not just each type of storage medium.

In addition to the measures protecting children, the bill also extends the statute of limitations for most felonies and misdemeanors.

“If police and prosecutors need more time to build a case, they should get it. This bill more than doubles the amount of time available to file charges, and that will result in more criminals being behind bars instead of on the street,” the Governor said.

Currently, Kansas has no statute of limitations for the crime of murder, while fraud and theft involving the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS) have a 10-year statute of limitations. Rape and various other crimes already have a five-year statute of limitations.

This bill extends the statute of limitations all other crimes from two years to five.