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Minutes for HB2370 - Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice
Short Title
Defining consent in the Kansas criminal code for sexual offenses.
Minutes Content for Mon, Feb 19, 2024
The Chair opened the hearing on HB2370. Natalie Scott provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
Representative Dan Osman testified as a proponent of this bill defining consent in the Kansas criminal code for sexual offenses. He looked through the rest of the country and counted 25 states and territories that defined either "consent" or "lack of consent" and he wants Kansas to join that list. (Attachment 2)
Michelle Olson, Private Citizen testified as a proponent of the bill. Ms. Olson said this legislation is important to her - based on her personal and professional experiences, listening and reading victim's stories, and reviewing recent data it is clear that the general public is in need of a comprehensive definition of consent. Codifying consent would stop consent being summed up into the simple "no means no" or "yes means yes" phrases that we have all heard. She shared information regarding some of the statistics, studies and surveys she has researched and included the references in her written testimony. (Attachment 3)
Katherine Goodwin, Private Citizen testified as a proponent of the bill. Ms. Goodwin shared her story of being a survivor of sexual assault. She said that if her perpetrator and she had known what consent really was, it could have prevented what had happened to her and that having consent defined in Kansas law can guide parents in their conversations with their children. (Attachment 4)
Written only proponent testimony was submitted by:
- Michelle McCormick, Executive Director, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (Attachment 5)
- Julie Donelon, President and CEO, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (Attachment 6)
- Taylor Morton, Kansas Lobbyist on behalf of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes (Attachment 7)
There was no neutral testimony.
Jennifer Roth testified as an opponent to the bill on behalf of the BIDS Legislative Committee. Ms. Roth said they appreciate that people would like more guidance about what consent looks like to distinguish healthy sexual interactions from criminal ones. While the proposed statutory definition of consent is likely meant to provide clarity, she said it raised more questions than it provides answers. (Attachment 8)
The Chair closed the hearing on HB2370.
