Senator Julia Coleman (R-Chanhassen) released the following statement to signify her strong support of a bill to fix Minnesota’s sexual assault statute. The bill addresses a part of Minnesota law that leaves victims of sexual assault who were voluntarily intoxicated without justice.

“We need to get this fix done now,” said Sen. Coleman. “Sexual assault survivors have already gone through enough trauma. Seeing their perpetrators escape justice is unacceptable. Our statutes shouldn’t allow for victim blaming and I am committed to doing whatever is necessary to create a culture where all victims of sexual violence get justice.” 

Senator Coleman is committed to working with Senator David Senjem (R-Rochester), who is the chief author of the legislation, in getting the fix signed into law by the end of the current legislative session. The bill awaits a hearing in the Minnesota Senate Judiciary & Public Safety Committee. 

The statute has received increased scrutiny after the Minnesota Supreme Court recently ruled that a willingly intoxicated victim does not qualify under Minnesota state statutes’ definition of incapacitated. The potential update to the state’s criminal sexual conduct (CSC) statute follows the recommendation of the non-partisan CSC Statutory Reform Working Group.