Bill > SB1600

This bill amends existing Oregon law regarding the time limits for prosecuting certain crimes, specifically focusing on first-degree sex crimes. Previously, there were limitations on how long after a crime could be prosecuted, with some sex crimes having a 12-year limit or a limit tied to the victim's age. This bill allows for prosecutions of rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree, and sexual abuse in the first degree to be commenced at any time after the crime's commission, even if the original time limit has passed, provided that a prosecuting attorney obtains corroborating evidence of the crime. This corroborating evidence can include physical evidence other than DNA, a confession, a victim's statement made close in time to the crime, a written statement by the victim made close in time to the crime and shared with others, or a report from another victim alleging similar crimes by the same defendant. Additionally, if a prosecuting attorney decides to pursue a prosecution under these new provisions, they are required to present any evidence that reasonably tends to prove the defendant's innocence to the grand jury. This change applies to offenses committed before, on, or after the bill's effective date, but it does not revive prosecutions that were already legally barred before the bill became law.