Maine Senate votes to enact Vitelli bill protecting children from visual sexual aggression

AUGUSTA —Last week, the Maine Senate voted unanimously to enact a bill by Sen. Eloise Vitelli, of Arrowsic, to protect children from visual sexual aggression.

LD 1728, “An Act To Increase the Penalty for Visual Sexual Aggression against a Child,” as amended, would increase penalties imposed on repeat offenders convicted of visual sexual aggression against children.

“Visual sexual aggression against anyone, let alone children, is completely unacceptable,” said Sen. Vitelli. “I am grateful to have the full support of the Legislature in deterring this type of behavior in the future.”

Sen. Vitelli submitted this legislation after hearing from a concerned mother, whose daughter had been subjected to visual sexual aggression while walking near the library in Bath. However, because her daughter was thirteen, the perpetrator received a lesser penalty than if she had been twelve. Further, the perpetrator was a repeat offender.

As amended, LD 1728 would eliminate the arbitrary distinction regarding whether a child is twelve or thirteen and allows for more flexibility in the sentencing of repeat offenders. This version of the bill is the result of a collaboration between Sen. Vitelli, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, and Maine’s Criminal Law Advisory Commission.

LD 1728 earned unanimous support in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, as well as the House and the Senate. It will now head to the governor, who has 10 days to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.

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