STATEHOUSE (January 16, 2013) – State Sen. Phil Boots’ (R-Crawfordsville) legislation to close loopholes in Indiana’s child seduction law passed unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law Tuesday.

Senate Bill 53 makes it a crime for any adult who has a professional relationship with a 16 or 17-year-old to engage in sexual behavior with them, even though the age of consent in Indiana is 16. The current child seduction law only applies to military recruiters and school officials.

Boots said he wrote the bill after Vigo County prosecutors were unable to charge a therapist for repeatedly seducing her 16-year-old patient, a Crawfordsville resident, and taking him to her home in Terre Haute.

“The whole point of Indiana’s current child seduction law is to protect young Hoosiers from instances exactly like the one that transpired in our community, and it was alarming to discover such a serious gap in the law’s coverage,” Boots said. “It should certainly be a crime for professional adults to abuse a relationship with a 16 or 17-year-old individual under their care or guidance. I urge my fellow lawmakers to vote in favor of this legislation and help ensure this type of behavior does not go unpunished again.”

The bill moves to the full Senate for further consideration.

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A high-resolution photo of Boots is now available in the Caucus Photo Gallery at http://www.in.gov/legislative/senate_republicans/2355.htm