Virginia’s House and Senate approved two reforms of the state’s sexual-assault laws Wednesday, both of which were proposed by Gov. Tim Kaine.
The General Assembly moved to close a loophole in state law that allows a man who sexually assaults girls between the ages of 14 to 16 to avoid prosecution if he offers to marry the victim.
The other measure would require the state, not the victim, to pay for a forensic medical examination after an attack.
The bills, first backed by Kaine in January, passed the House and Senate unanimously after seeing no real opposition as they made their way through the legislature.
Under existing law, a prosecutor can agree to compensate a victim for the test, which can cost up to $800, only if the victim decides to pursue a prosecution within 48 hours of the exam.
That requirement no longer will be legal next year under the federal Violence Against Women Act of 2005, which mandates that no state will “require a victim of sexual violence to participate in the criminal justice system or cooperate with law enforcement in order to be provided a forensic medical exam or to be reimbursed for charges incurred on account of such an exam.”
Kaine also supports repealing regulations that require rape victims to submit to polygraph testing as a condition for an investigation, which also was made illegal under federal law.
