A Mississippi advocacy group is urging state senators to support House Bill 525, legislation that would establish mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain sexual battery convictions involving minors.
Stand Firm With Us said the bill is scheduled for a vote in the Mississippi Senate on Wednesday, March 11. Official legislative records show HB 525, authored by Rep. Kimberly Remak, would create mandatory minimum penalties for sexual battery and had advanced from committee to the Senate calendar as of this week.
Under current Mississippi law, the group said a person in a position of trust who confesses to or is convicted of sexual battery against a minor can face a sentence ranging from zero to 30 years. HB 525 would change that sentencing structure by setting a minimum sentence of five years for a first offense and 10 years for a second offense, according to the group’s statement and bill tracking summaries.
In its call to action, Stand Firm With Us encouraged supporters to contact their state senators and ask them to back the measure. The group said the bill is important because it would strengthen protections for victims, create a stronger deterrent for offenders and close what it described as a dangerous gap in current law.
“Children deserve protection. Justice should not be optional,” the group said.
Stand Firm With Us also thanked Rep. Kimberly Remak for her work on the legislation. Official Mississippi Legislature records list Remak as a member of the House of Representatives and one of the sponsors of HB 525
