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MONTPELIER â A bill intended to update the stateâs sexual assault criminal statute with a new definition of consent accounting for the role of alcohol and other drugs is on course to be voted out of the Senate Judicial Committee on Friday.
The bill, H. 183, had a questionable future when the Committee last discussed it on Friday. Lawmakers were frustrated with the language in the House proposal. That frustration was not well-received by the billâs House supporters.
But a second effort, and some inspiration from a state thousands of miles away, have revived the billâs prospects for passage as the session wanes. Over the weekend, legislative counsel Michele Childs and Washington County Stateâs Attorney Rory Thibault worked on updating the bill with consent language adopted from Oklahomaâs criminal statute.
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MONTPELIER â A bill updating Vermontâs sexual assault law is scheduled to be taken up again by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, with the hope that revised language on consent will allow the bill to move forward.
The bill, H.183, was passed by the House by voice vote in March. It would update state law to clarify that sexual consent cannot be granted âwhen the other person is incapable of consenting to the sexual act due to substantial impairment by alcohol, drugs, or other intoxicants and that condition is known or reasonably should be known by the person.â