UPDATE: As heard last week on WGNS, there will no longer be a statute of limitations in felony child sex abuse cases if the crime took place when the victim was less than 13 years of age. The new bill on the statute will go into effect this coming July (2019).

The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations known as TACIR, conducted a study that led to the change in law. The study was requested last year by Senator Bill Ketron and Representative Mike Sparks. It was that study that led to the successful passage of the legislation to end the statute of limitations on certain child sexual abuse cases for children in the future.

While the bill sponsored by Representative Mike Sparks of Smyrna and former Senator Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro did not pass, Sparks worked with Representative Bill Dunn to abolish the statute for felony child sex abuse cases for victims under the age of 13.

Representative William Lamberth stated...



Rep. Sparks stated, "I want to thank my colleges in the Tennessee General Assembly for listening to victims of sexual abuse. The powerful testimonies of Scott Walker and Donna Turner Coulter led to the passage of ending the statutes of limitations on sexual abuse. Childhood sexual abuse is a very uncomfortable issue to discuss. PTSD from the traumatic effects during childhood from sexual abuse is something that needs to be addressed in our society. My hope with the sexual abuse legislation I've carried is to encourage victims to find some form of healing by seeking counseling and therapy and prosecute those who have committed these type of crimes."

As for the bill that passed, Representative Michael Curcio of Dickson, Tennessee explains...



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