Brief (1)
SB 424 clarifies two statutes regarding the admissibility of hearsay statements of a child victim of less than 13 years of age at any preliminary examination and repeals a third unneeded statute dealing with recorded statements of child victims under 13 years of age.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to add the Kansas City, Missouri Police Crime Laboratory to the list of crime labs whose certified reports are admissible at preliminary hearings without testimony of the scientist performing the tests.
Background
The bill was suggested by the Criminal Law Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council. The bill is intended to resolve ambiguities in the current statutes which allow the use of prior statements of a child without the child having to be called at the preliminary hearing and eliminates conflicts in various statutes.
The Senate Committee amendment was requested by the Douglas County District Attorney.
The bill has no fiscal impact.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html