Proposed Florida Law Considers Heavier Criminal Charges for Groping
Some lawmakers, including bill sponsor state Rep. Linda Chaney, are leaning toward making the crime a felony from the start.
Landwebs
The Florida Senate has approved proposed legislation to create the new crime of “indecent battery,” intended to target those who grope people, 16 years and older, in a sexual manner and recognizing unwanted sexual touches as a separate offense, rather than a simple battery, reports the Miami Herald. First-time offenders would face a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison. If they are convicted a second time for the same crime, they would face a third-degree felony. A person convicted of indecent battery would not be required to register as a sex offender under the bill.
Meanwhile, the House is moving a similar bill with the same penalties, but some lawmakers, including bill sponsor state Rep. Linda Chaney, are leaning toward making the crime a felony from the start, meaning a convicted offender would face up to five years in prison, even though Senate members won’t budge on increasing the penalties. The House bill would also create another crime targeting people 24 and older who intentionally touch a 16- or 17-year-old in a “lewd or lascivious manner.” That offense would be a third-degree felony and would require a person convicted for that crime to register as a sex offender. In the last three fiscal years combined, 238 people have been arrested for second-degree misdemeanors under the current statutes.
