Video & Transcript Research : 'rape shield'
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MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Public Health Jun 21st, 2026 at 10:00 am
Joint Committee on Public Health
Transcript Highlights:
- She went to a hospital in Boston and was told that if she wasn't reporting a rape or a sexual assault
- , they wouldn't test her for the drug. ...wasn't reporting a rape or a sexual assault, they wouldn't
- I thought it was what we call the quote-unquote date rape drugs.
- "I'm so glad I wasn't raped.
- It is not only about rape. It is about identity theft. It's about other crimes. And then what?
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on a wide range of public health and emergency services bills, with many speakers focusing on EMS system failures, hospital service closures, trauma preparedness, epilepsy awareness, drink-spiking response, sudden cardiac arrest, and survivor financial assistance. Several legislators and advocates described the EMS system as underfunded and overstretched, citing long ambulance waits, staffing shortages, and the need for statewide oversight, a special commission, and clearer recognition of EMS as an essential service. A number of speakers also supported bills to preserve essential hospital services after closures such as Nashoba Valley Medical Center and birthing services in Leominster, arguing that current closure rules lack enforcement and leave communities without critical care.
Multiple panels testified in support of bills requiring trauma kits in public buildings, public education on SUDEP and epilepsy mortality, and improved cardiac arrest response. Supporters of the trauma-kit bill said public buildings should have bleeding-control kits and trained staff, comparing them to AEDs and first aid supplies. Epilepsy advocates, clinicians, and grieving parents urged a public health campaign on SUDEP, saying families are often not warned about the risk and that awareness could improve medication adherence, reduce guilt, and save lives. On cardiac arrest, EMS professionals and the American Heart Association backed measures to improve telecommunicator CPR, create an AED registry, and strengthen dispatch and training standards.
The committee also heard extensive testimony on a bill addressing illicit drink spiking. Senators, city officials, victims, physicians, and an international anti-spiking advocate described cases in which hospitals refused toxicology testing unless a sexual assault was reported, and argued for standardized testing protocols, better data collection, and coordination with law enforcement and licensed venues. Another bill drew a sharp exchange over local public health control and the SAFE 2.0 law, with one senator arguing for more local approval and voluntary participation, while committee members defended the earlier law as a response to inequities in local public health capacity. Finally, advocates from Jane Doe, Inc. supported legislation to provide flexible financial assistance to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, saying unrestricted cash helps survivors meet basic needs, escape abuse, and rebuild stability.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Law & Justice Jun 4th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- They were being raped by sexually aggressive youths who DHS Known alcoholics.
- They were being raped by sexually aggressive youths who DHS improvidently put together with nine- and
- Barty Ranch, where children were being horrifically raped.
- Children were being raped.
- That group home has staff members and sexually aggressive youths who are raping the kids.
Summary:
The committee held a work session on tort liability and parole, with the chair explaining that the topics were linked because criminal justice reform and state liability often intersect, especially in cases involving child welfare and corrections. Staff first outlined Washington’s tort liability framework, including the state’s broad waiver of sovereign immunity, statutes governing mandatory reporting and investigation of abuse, the childhood sexual abuse statute of limitations, and the lack of caps on non-economic damages. Staff and presenters also compared Washington to other states and noted that Washington remains among the broadest states for state liability and childhood sexual abuse claims.
Presenters from the Attorney General’s office, Washington State Association for Justice, DCYF, DSHS, and DOC discussed how tort exposure has grown, especially in claims involving DCYF, historical child abuse, juvenile rehabilitation, vulnerable adults, employment discrimination, medical negligence, and negligent supervision. DCYF and AG staff said claims and payouts are rising, with many claims tied to older abuse and new theories of liability, while defense counsel emphasized the human harm behind the claims and argued that tort cases have historically driven accountability and reform. Agency witnesses said they face large volumes of old claims with limited records, rising verdicts and settlements, and staffing and systems challenges, and they highlighted efforts such as early resolution programs, electronic health records, medication-assisted treatment, and improved incident review processes.
The committee then shifted to parole. Sentencing experts reviewed Washington’s move from indeterminate sentencing to the current determinate sentencing system under the Sentencing Reform Act, and explained how parole could be integrated with sentencing guidelines through different models used in other states. They also summarized Criminal Sentencing Task Force recommendations related to a determinate-plus approach for three-strikes and persistent offender laws and a second-chance review process, noting there was no consensus on those ideas. Judges from the Minority and Justice Commission and the Superior Court Judges Association said a parole system could support rehabilitation and reduce disparities if it includes data collection, fairness, transparency, due process, and meaningful judicial review; they also pointed to research suggesting parole and structured reentry can reduce recidivism and costs, while warning that access and outcomes can vary by geography and other factors.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Oct 8th, 2025
Legislative Health & Human Services Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- To child sexual rapes that happened in Gallup under this DA's tenure.
- Madam Chair, Representative It is the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Thank you very much.
- Then, I experienced date rape in college.
- I just want to talk a little bit about sexual assault, specifically the rape kits.
- We allow 40-year-old rape kits to sit. I don't know what the backlog is now.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary (7-24-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- Because she was deceased, it does not qualify as rape for an aggravating circumstance.
- 03.680>
as she was deceased, it does not qualify as she was deceased, it does not qualify as rape - 04.960>
as <00:05:05.199>as <00:05:05.440>an <00:05:05.600>aggravating rape - for for an as as an aggravating rape for for an as as an aggravating circumstance.<00:05:07.440>
- <00:52:09.680>
and named Cade Madden who was raping and named Cade Madden who was raping and
Summary:
The committee approved the minutes of its June 10, 2025 meeting and then heard testimony on House Bill 198, “Angela’s Law,” sponsored by Representative Samara Hein. The bill would add a new aggravating circumstance in death-penalty cases when an offender abuses the corpse of a kidnapping or murder victim by engaging in deviate sexual intercourse, sexual intercourse, or sexual contact. Representative Hein and the victim’s parents described the case that prompted the proposal, saying the current law did not allow the conduct to be treated as an aggravating factor because the sexual act occurred after death. They emphasized that the bill would not require a death sentence or life without parole, but would give judges and juries another sentencing factor to consider.
Doug and Angela Kerr gave emotional testimony about their daughter’s murder and said the current sentencing options were inadequate given the facts of the case. Several members expressed sympathy and supported the bill’s purpose. Senator Wheeler said the measure would signal that the Commonwealth will not tolerate such conduct, and Representative Petrie said he supported the concept but urged careful drafting so the language would not be too narrow or unintentionally reach co-conspirators or others whose conduct differed from the principal offender.
The committee then received an informational presentation on KRS Chapter 202C from Judge Lisa Payne Jones and Shauna Mitchell of the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health. They explained that 202C was enacted in 2021 to address a gap in Kentucky’s civil commitment laws for defendants found incompetent to stand trial after serious offenses. The presentation outlined the process: a Commonwealth’s attorney must file a petition for qualifying offenses, an evidentiary hearing must be held quickly, and if the respondent is found by a preponderance of the evidence to have committed the offense, a commitment hearing follows with a higher burden of proof. They also described the 2024 amendment changing the commitment criteria from requiring all four factors to only one, and noted the statute’s review-hearing schedule and the availability of later review if circumstances change or new evidence emerges.
US
US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session
Hearings to examine the nomination of Rodney Scott, of Oklahoma, to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. Apr 30th, 2025 at 09:00 am
Finance Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Now, to move on to this matter of the rape threat, Mr.
- Scott, you tweeted what a judge referred to as a classic rape threat.
- She had said that she had been raped while she was at the academy and you chose to respond with a rape
- that never heard of a lie back and take it as referring to rape.
- You were challenging her creative imagination about rape? That is not what I said.
Keywords:
Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, border security, asylum, transparency, Hernandez Rojas, migrant treatment, public testimony
Summary:
The meeting centered on the nomination of Rodney Scott to serve as the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Throughout the session, various senators expressed concerns regarding CBP's recent practices, including issues related to border security and the treatment of migrants. Questions were raised about Scott's involvement in previous incidents, particularly surrounding the controversial death of Mr. Hernandez Rojas while in custody, which sparked a heated discussion about accountability and transparency in current border policies. Senators emphasized the importance of balancing efficient border security with humane treatment of individuals seeking asylum.
US
US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session
US House Floor Proceedings (Wednesday, June 25, 2025)
US Federal House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Speaker, a 10-year-old rape victim was denied the care she needed and was forced to flee the state to
- Speaker, a 10-year-old rape victim was denied the care she needed and was forced to flee the state to
- There would be no meaningful exceptions, not for rape and not for incest. revoke legal precedent.
- There would be no meaningful exceptions, not for rape and not for incest.
- One of the for rape and not for incest.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Education Pre-K - 12 Mar 25th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- . >> That under your bill, you you have minors who are victims of rape, incest or abuse and they can't
- But when I was raped at 16 years old by a close friend, I was not comfortable telling them.
- She was groomed until her grandfather raped her.
- We know that children are abused and raped in the system. Less opportunities.
- Rape.
AR
Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session
PUBLIC HEALTH WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE-SENATE AND HOUSE Mar 6th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- cause for not cooperating with child support, we have just removed the descriptor in front of the word rape
- of forcible rape.
- It just now will say rape or incest is a reason for good cause, not forcible rape.
Summary:
The meeting opened with approval of the prior minutes and then took up two Department of Human Services rules. Mary Franklin of DHS’s Division of County Operations presented a Medicaid/CHIP rule that removes the 90-day waiting period for certain ARKids B children who lose other coverage, clarifies child support enforcement procedures for pregnant women, and updates good-cause language to say “rape or incest” rather than “forcible rape.” Members asked about how child support referrals and sanctions work during pregnancy and the postpartum period; Franklin explained that sanctions would not be imposed until after the 60-day postpartum period and that good-cause determinations can prevent sanctions in appropriate cases. The rule had no public comments and a small fiscal impact, and it was reviewed without objection.
Elizabeth Pittman of DHS’s Division of Medical Services then presented a medication-assisted treatment rule. She explained that the change simply removes an expired federal end date from the state plan and updates the CMS template, while leaving existing coverage for counseling and lab services tied to substance use disorder treatment unchanged. In response to questions, she said the rule does not add new benefits or costs because the coverage was already required by federal and state law. The committee reviewed the rule without objection.
The meeting also included an informational presentation from Jenna Goldman of UAMS about a culinary medicine experience for legislators, scheduled for March 16 for the Senate and March 17 for the House at the Institute on Aging in Little Rock. She described it as a food-is-medicine program where participants would learn about healthy cooking and how to apply it in communities with limited food options. Members discussed its connection to rural health and potential grant opportunities. The meeting ended with a brief visit from a Monticello sixth-grade class, who asked Capitol trivia questions before the committee adjourned.
AR
Arkansas 2026 Regular Session
PUBLIC HEALTH WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE-SENATE AND HOUSE Mar 6th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- cause for not cooperating with child support, we have just removed the descriptor in front of the word rape
- of forcible rape.
- It just now will say rape or incest is a reason for good cause, not forcible rape.
Summary:
The committee met briefly to approve prior minutes and then reviewed two Department of Human Services rules. The first, from the Division of County Operations, would remove the 90-day waiting period for certain ARKids B children who lose other coverage, clarify child support enforcement procedures for pregnant women and postpartum sanctions, and change the good-cause language from “forcible rape” to “rape or incest.” DHS said there were no public comments and only a small fiscal impact for system changes. The second rule, from the Division of Medical Services, updates the Medicaid state plan for medication-assisted treatment by removing an expired federal end date and adopting a new CMS template; officials said coverage does not change and there is no financial impact. Both rules were reviewed without objection.
Members also heard an informational presentation from UAMS about a culinary medicine experience planned for March 16 for the Senate and March 17 for the House at the Institute on Aging in Little Rock. The program is intended to show how food can be used as medicine and to connect with the state’s rural health transformation priorities and possible grant opportunities. Members were encouraged to attend, wear comfortable shoes, and participate in the kitchen-based activity.
The meeting ended with special recognition of a Monticello sixth-grade class visiting the Capitol for a scavenger hunt. A student asked several questions about the Capitol building’s materials and architecture, and members responded informally before the committee adjourned with no further business.
TX
Texas 89th 2nd C.S.
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs Apr 9th, 2025
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Because he threatens you, he's raping your daughter, whatever, you shoot him, you've just committed a
- Let's survey the type of cases this bill would shield from liability.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs Apr 9th, 2025
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- example, somebody breaks into your house, you kill them, right, because he threatens you. you, he's raping
- Let's survey the type of cases this bill would shield from liability.
Bills:
HB2034, HB2436, HB3010, HB3033, HB3138, HB3177, HB3426, HB3686, HB3858, HB4176, HB4257, HB4264, HB4804, HCR98
Keywords:
groundwater, foreign ownership, national security, water permits, environmental health, deadly conduct, firearm, recklessness, peace officer, prosecution, Penal Code, Texas laws, disaster recovery, infrastructure, rural communities, grants, state funding, emergency management, HB 3033, Texas Department of Public Safety
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- So they already got a wall up, they already got a shield up.
- Have you been raped? Have you been beat up? Have you been stabbed? Have you been shot?
Keywords:
judicial liability, personal bond, felony offenses, judges, criminal justice reform, voter registration, election procedures, change of address, residence requirements, Texas Election Code, Texas election law, residence address, precinct voting, county move, same-county move, Election Code, registrar, statement of residence, polling place, local elections
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- They already got a shield up.
- Have you been raped? Have you been beat up? Have you been stabbed? Have you been shot?
Keywords:
healthcare, maternal health, reporting requirements, Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, health provider immunity, workplace violence, nurses, grant program, healthcare facilities, safety measures, safety, nursing, grants, healthcare safety, verbal abuse, physical abuse, nurse empowerment, occupational therapy, licensure, interstate practice
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Appropriations Feb 12th, 2025
MD
Transcript Highlights:
- Let's just say it's for you know, rape. Let's just say it's for rape. rape. rape.
- Again, this amendment is to say for those arrested for rape first degree, rape second degree.
- Again, this amendment is to say for those arrested for rape first degree, rape second degree.
- Again, this amendment is to say for those arrested for rape first degree, rape second degree.
- Again, this amendment is to say for those arrested for rape first degree, rape second degree.
Summary:
The Senate opened with an invocation by Associate Pastor Justin Wills of Miracle Temple Church in Lothian, followed by remarks recognizing his family’s ministry and requesting that the prayer be journalized. The chamber then moved through several introductions, including Johnston Square Elementary students who were recognized for strong grades, education-related guests, and staff and family members of senators. After the roll confirmed a quorum, the Senate returned to business.
On third reading, House Bill 563, concerning emergency response animals, was amended to align the House and Senate versions. The amendment added self-defense as an affirmative defense, included horses used in search and rescue within the definition of emergency response animal, added a definition of law enforcement unit, and adjusted penalties. The bill then passed with 44 affirmative votes. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 159 on EMS vehicle supplies and neonatal care; the chamber refused to concur in House amendments and sent a message asking the House to recede or appoint a conference committee.
The Senate introduced House Bill 420 and referred it to Rules. In Judicial Proceedings, Senate Bill 791 on immigration enforcement prohibitions in correctional facilities was reported favorably with three amendments, including technical changes, limits tied to certain convictions, notice requirements for state facilities, and authorization for judges or commissioners to consider immigration detainers in bail decisions. The minority leader and others requested that the bill be special ordered for more time to review and prepare amendments, arguing the issue was controversial and had been fast-tracked; supporters of the committee report said the bill had already been heard and discussed. The debate over the special-order motion was ongoing at the end of the transcript.
AZ
Arizona 2026 Regular Session
02/02/2026 - Senate Military Affairs and Border Security
Military Affairs and Border Security
Transcript Highlights:
- what it's like to be in the operating room with a 23-year-old woman that's been tied to a tree and raped
- what it's like to be in the operating room with a 23-year-old woman that's been tied to a tree and raped
- Some of you may remember in November of '25 a man named Abel Gabla raped a ten-year-old girl...
- A man named Abel Gabla raped a 10-year-old girl in the Orangewood Elementary School.
- States on probation if the offense is probation-eligible under state law. a man named a Belga Blah raped
Keywords:
immigration, public benefits, asylum, verification, Arizona Revised Statutes, appropriation, public safety, detention, unauthorized aliens, local government funding, border security, fencing, appropriations, southern border, local government, immigration enforcement, probation, law enforcement, court notification, civil rights
Summary:
The Military Affairs and Border Security Committee met and approved the January 26, 2026 minutes, then took up several bills related to veterans, immigration, and border security. SB 1268 was described as an emergency cleanup measure clarifying that a 100% service-connected disabled veteran’s primary residence is fully exempt from property tax, including when jointly owned with a spouse; county assessors supported it as needed to fix ambiguous language before the 2026 tax year, and it passed 7-0. SB 1152 would make people with pending asylum applications eligible for state or local public benefits until asylum is granted; supporters framed it as limiting state spending on pending cases, while opponents argued it was redundant, could encourage racial profiling, and conflicted with humanitarian and economic considerations. It passed 4-3. SB 1156 would appropriate $20 million to reimburse cities, towns, and counties for short-term detention costs involving unauthorized persons; supporters said local governments were bearing an unfair burden, while opponents said the money should go elsewhere and that the state was already spending heavily on border issues. It passed 4-3.
CO
Colorado 2026 Regular Session
Colorado House 2026 Legislative Day 112 May 5th, 2026
Colorado House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- <04:03:24.640>
Those then that's statutory rape. Those then that's statutory rape. - comport with whatever statutory rape comport with whatever statutory rape laws<04:03:48.080>
- So, if our statutory rape law laws are.
- So, who qualifies under statutory rape.
- trying to address the statutory rape trying to address the statutory rape time<04:06:59.280>
Summary:
The House convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and heard several announcements and recognitions. Members marked World Ovarian Cancer Day, promoted Cinco de Mayo and a related potluck, welcomed DeMolay International guests, and recognized correctional officers and employees during Corrections Officers and Employees Week. Several committees also announced upcoming meetings and bill hearings, including Health and Human Services, Judiciary, Transportation, Housing, and Local Government, Capital Development, and Appropriations.
Committee reports were read, including favorable recommendations on several bills and a postponement indefinitely of House Joint Resolution 1029. The Majority Leader then moved a slate of bills to special orders, and the House agreed without objection. The chamber then proceeded to floor consideration of Senate Bill 134, concerning payment card network fees.
Senate Bill 134 drew debate over whether merchants should continue paying swipe fees on the tax portion of credit card transactions. Supporters said the bill would provide meaningful relief to small businesses and restaurants, with estimated savings of $8,000 to $10,000 per business and about $217 million statewide. Opponents argued the bill shifted costs to banks and could have unintended consequences, suggesting the state should instead directly pay or reimburse the fees. After debate, the House passed Senate Bill 134 by voice vote.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- And that may include women who go to a doctor's care in another state if they've been raped.
- I was raped with the intention of getting me pregnant.
- I am a survivor of rape.
- As others have already stated, rape and pregnancy from rape still occurs at rates that Put Texas at the
- top of rape-related pregnancies, with about 26,000 cases.
Keywords:
HB 229, Texas, political subdivision, local government, county dues, county association, state association of counties, lobbying, lobbyist, public funds, taxpayer lawsuit, injunctive relief, attorney's fees, Government Code Chapter 556, Local Government Code Section 89.002, legislative advocacy, municipal government, county government, city government, special district
AL
Transcript Highlights:
- This bill would change the potential punishment for someone who commits the offense of rape or sodomy
- of their mind and did something, this is not capital, but we're going to charge them with regular rape
- Not quite 18, and of course you get this statutory rape charge.
- , where it begins to be okay when an underage boy who is in their teens is involved with a girl or rapes
- It adds these two offenses: rape of a child under 12 and sodomy of a child under 12.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
EIG-TCA, EIG Public Hearings 03-25-2025
Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Way better than raping the ocean, but it's minerals to make these batteries.
- the bottom of mining our ocean, raping the bottom of the<00:41:56.240>
ocean <00:41:56.560> - Way better than raping<00:42:13.440>
the <00:42:13.680>ocean, <00:42:14.400>but < - 00:42:14.720>
it's <00:42:14.880>minerals <00:42:15.280>to raping the ocean, but - it's minerals to raping the ocean, but it's minerals to make<00:42:15.599>
these <00:42:16.200
Summary:
The joint Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and Committee on Transportation, Culture, and the Arts heard several resolutions, with most public testimony focused on Senate Concurrent Resolution 159 and Senate Resolution 129, which urge continued U.S. support for the Ukrainian military. Testimony on those measures was largely opposed, with witnesses arguing Hawaii should prioritize local needs such as homelessness, infrastructure, and cost of living over additional aid to Ukraine; one support testimony was noted from the Democratic Party of Hawaii. Despite the opposition, both committees recommended passage with technical, nonsubstantive amendments, and the recommendations were adopted.
The committees also considered transportation-related resolutions. Senate Concurrent Resolution 182 and Senate Resolution 152 would initiate a summer streets pilot program, and Senate Concurrent Resolution 200 and Senate Resolution 180 would ask AMPO to coordinate a transportation management training program. Testimony on the summer streets proposal included support and opposition, with one witness saying community input should be gathered through existing district and community meetings rather than creating a pilot. The training-program measure drew opposition from a witness who argued it would add unnecessary bureaucracy. Both pairs were recommended for passage, with the summer streets resolutions passed unamended and the training-program resolutions passed with technical amendments.
In the Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs committee, Senate Concurrent Resolution 18 and Senate Resolution 14, concerning relocation of the Pearl City post office to Navy property, were recommended for passage with technical amendments. The committee also heard extensive testimony on Senate Concurrent Resolution 136 and Senate Resolution 150, which call for a geothermal energy working group. Supporters included the State Energy Office, PUC, consumer advocate, and others, though the energy office asked to move the report deadline to 2027. Opponents raised concerns about cost, health impacts, environmental risks, and Native Hawaiian representation. The chair proposed amendments to add a Native Hawaiian member, the consumer advocate, and the House and Senate energy committee chairs, clarify participation by utility, geothermal, and nonprofit representatives, and extend the report deadline to 2027. The resolutions were then recommended for passage with amendments, and all recommendations were adopted before adjournment.