Texas bill to close sexual assault loophole scheduled for hearing before Senate committee

Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault. Please return to the homepage if you are not comfortable with the topic. If you are in distress and need to speak with someone, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas House bill to close a loophole in the state's sexual assault laws is on the Senate Criminal Justice committee's agenda for Thursday, after its supporters made a push Tuesday for its consideration.

House Bill 3073, named the “Summer Willis Act,” passed in the House on May 1 with only four representatives voting against it, according to legislative records.

The bill's namesake was a University of Texas at Austin student whose sexual assault was not investigated or prosecuted. Willis is now an advocate, fighting to close the loophole she said kept her from getting justice.

In February, Willis crawled a half marathon to raise awareness around sexual assault policy reform in her "The Last Time We Crawl" campaign:

The hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday and will feature public comments.

Supporters of the bill who are expected to testify include Danny Wilson, the brother of Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre; Katiana Soenen, a college sexual assault survivor; and Lavinia Masters, a nationally recognized survivor advocate. In 2019, a bill named after Masters led to changes in processing DNA testing kits.

However, it is not confirmed whether or not the bill will receive a vote during the hearing. The Senate has until May 28 to consider the bill.

KXAN will update this story following the hearing.