DES MOINES, Iowa - Victims of sexual abuse as minors will no longer have a time limit for coming forward in Iowa.
A new law does away with the statute of limitations to bring charges for sex abuse and human trafficking of children under 18 years-old.
Previous time limits top out when a victim is 33, and can be just a few years if the abuse was by a counselor or therapist.
Iowa is now the 14th state to eliminate the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse against a child.
The bill passed the state Senate unanimously and by an 84-2 vote in the House last Frida.
Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill Wednesday and released a statement praising the accomplishment.
“Today Iowa stands in support of survivors of sexual violence as we become the 14th state to eliminate the statute of limitations for these heinous crimes,” said Gov. Reynolds. “I also want to thank Kimberly Gleason, a survivor of sexual abuse as a child, who tirelessly advocated for this bill. Without her bravery and the willingness of so many other survivors to come forward, we wouldn’t be able to hold more abusers accountable for their crimes.”
The bill also expands the definition of “sexual exploitation by an adult providing training or instruction” to mean “an adult who is not a school employee who provides paid training or instruction to a minor outside of a school setting.”