Bill > HB1012

This bill, known as the Sexual Assault Survivor Empowerment and Privacy Protection Act, aims to protect the personal information of sex offense victims by limiting public access to it. It defines a victim of a sex offense as a "protected individual" and requires that any request to access their information must be accompanied by official documentation, such as a police report, proving their status as a victim. The bill prohibits individuals from knowingly publishing a victim's personal information if it poses an imminent and serious threat, leading to actions like assault, harassment, trespass, or property damage. Public bodies are mandated to acknowledge requests to protect a victim's information within five days and remove any previously published personal information within seventy-two hours, or provide a written explanation for delays. Violators who knowingly publish a victim's personal information in a way that causes harm face misdemeanor charges, punishable by up to eighteen months in jail or a $5,000 fine, though this penalty does not apply to public bodies.