Sen. Mike Lee introduced a bill Wednesday to shield sexual abuse victims from any further unwanted contact with their abuser.
The Utah Republican’s bill, Kayleigh’s Law, would mandate that judges issue lifetime no-contact injunctions at sentencing for felony convictions involving violence or sexual abuse.
Such orders prohibit all contact — written, oral, electronic, digital or physical — and remain in effect for the perpetrator’s lifetime, even after a sex criminal is released from prison, finishes probation or ends supervised release.
“Victims of sexual crimes often have to face their abusers in court over and over again, and even hear from these monsters outside of the courtroom. They fear for their safety, and they deserve better protection,” Mr. Lee said in a statement.
Existing protections vary across states, so a uniform federal standard for lifetime no-contact orders in qualifying federal cases would ensure consistent protection for victims across state lines. Because current state laws differ widely, gaps in safety exist when a victim moves or crosses borders.
The bill is named after Kayleigh Kozak, who testified multiple times against her soccer coach for sexually abusing her as a sixth grader. Her abuser received a reduced plea deal, was indicted on two of eight charges and was sentenced to serve nine months in jail, followed by two terms of lifetime probation.
“The harm caused by sexual assault is not temporary. It is lifelong,” Ms. Kozak said in a statement. “The protections for those who have been sexually violated should be lifelong, too.”
He petitioned for early termination of his probation each time his sentence was altered, and Ms. Kozak appeared in court each time.
When she sought a protective order, she was told she needed to prove a recent encounter with her abuser to justify one, according to Right on Crime, a public safety authority backing the bill.
“Kayleigh Kozak bravely faced her abusive soccer coach multiple times in court after he assaulted her in the sixth grade,” Mr. Lee said. “Survivors like Kayleigh have suffered vile abuse and should never be dissuaded from coming forward by fear of retaliation or further contact from their attacker.”
Right On Crime Executive Director Brett Tolman said that “justice should not come with an expiration date for victims.”
“When the system allows dangerous offenders back into a victim’s life, it fails its most basic responsibility,” he said in a statement. “Courts should have the authority to stand with survivors for the long term, and Kayleigh’s Law makes that possible.”
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