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Letter to the Editor: AG thanks Hess for her sponsorship of anti-abuse bills

Editor:

I would like to thank Rep. Stephanie Hess of Havre for sponsoring one of the bills I brought forward in this legislative session. House Bill 75 creates a sexual assault prosecution unit within my office’s Prosecution Services Bureau.

Sexual assault is a particularly heinous and prevalent crime that impacts for too many in our state and nation. One in four college women report surviving rape or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime. Twenty-five percent of women and 16 percent of men report having been sexually abused as children.

I have made it a priority for my administration to identify areas of improvement in sexual assault prosecutions, as well as in training law enforcement and local prosecutors on best practices for investigating and prosecuting sexual assault crimes. HB 75 gives clear statutory guidance in this area and ensures that sexual assault prosecutions and training are always a priority for the Montana Department of Justice, no matter who sits in the Attorney General’s Office.

Rep. Hess was able to pass HB 75 with strong bipartisan support and get it signed into law before the session’s half-way point. Havre has sent an effective advocate to the Legislature, and I am grateful for Rep. Hess’s hard work on behalf of her constituents and all Montanans.

Tim Fox

Attorney General of Montana

 

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