Local state senator sponsors bill package to overhaul Michigan's laws on sexual assault

A local senator is one of the sponsors of a bill package recently passed in the Senate that would overhaul the state's laws regarding sexual assault.

Dan Lauwers, R-Brockway Township, said the bill package was created in response to the case against Larry Nassar, a former Michigan State University sports physician who was sentenced to decades in prison in 2018 for sexually assaulting hundreds of female gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment.

Proposed bill 225 — one of the bills sponsored by Lauwers, along with bill 224 — raises the maximum sentence for the crime of sexual intercourse under pretext of medical treatment from 10 years in prison to 20 years. The crime of sexual penetration under the pretext of medical treatment would have a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Bill 224 clarifies and expands the current definition of the crimes.

"If someone does violate the law my bill provides some pretty stiff penalities as a deterrant for that," Lauwers said.

The bills are part of a larger five-bill bipartisan package. The other bills would require school districts to distribute information about sexual assault and harassement to all grades 6-12; encourage public schools to provide sexual assault and harassement training to all educators; and create criteria for physicians to meet in order to perform a medical examination on a minor patient involving vaginal or anal penetration.

"I hope this provides protection for people when they're in medical situations from any kind of harm or wrongdoing and at the same time provides assurances to medical professionals that they won't be wrongfully accused," Lauwers said.

The bill was passed by the Michigan Senate on Nov. 29, but was not voted on by either house in December's legislative session. Lauwers said he will likely regroup and attempt to revisit the bill again next year.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.