State Senator Mike Bohacek (R-Michiana Shores) is authoring a bill that would ensure more legal protections are in place to keep children safe from sexual predators.
Currently, the legal age of consent in Indiana is 16, with specific close-in-age exemptions for certain scenarios.
Senate Bill 290 would criminalize a person who is over the age of 24 engaging in sexual activity with a child who is 16, as well as a person who is over the age of 25 engaging in sexual activity with a child who is 16 or 17.
"All children deserve to be protected from predators seeking to exploit them, and our current laws simply aren't doing a good enough job at ensuring Hoosier children are protected," Bohacek said. "This bill would make it a criminal offense for adults who have sexual relations with a child and require the offender to register as a sex offender."
Bohacek is a proponent of legislation that bolsters strong protections for children, and has worked on legislation related to protecting children from sexual abuse almost every year since he was elected to the Indiana Senate. Recently, he worked on legislation similar to SB 290 in 2023 and on legislation requiring age verification for pornography websites in 2024.
"This bill becomes even more relevant when it comes to ensuring we protect our youth as we get more and more information on the situation regarding Jeffrey Epstein," Bohacek said. "We never want a similar situation to happen in Indiana, and I think it is our duty as legislators to take whatever measures we can to prevent anything even remotely similar from happening. I am appalled by this gross misuse of power and money and will always be a supporter of finding ways to further protect children from sexual predators, whether the predators exist in-person or online."
SB 290 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law for consideration.
Bohacek encourages residents of Senate District 8 to contact him with any questions or comments they may have. Bohacek can be reached by filling out a "Contact Me" form online at www.IndianaSenateRepublicans.com/Bohacek or by phone at 800-382-9467.
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