ASSEMBLYMAN BILL MAZE - California State Assembly Republican Caucus

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 34

ASSEMBLYMAN BILL MAZE

Issues: Press Releases

Assemblyman Maze Takes Three Critical Bills To The Assembly Public Safety Committee

4/1/03
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Sam Cannon
(916) 319-2034

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Bill Maze (R-Visalia) took three very important pieces of legislation before the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 1, 2003 for consideration. Maze secured passage with tremendous support for two of the bills.

AB 506 will amend the penal code to include a toxicology screen as part of the evidence collected from a sexual assault victim - a bill brought forth in response to the heartbreaking stories of drug-facilitated sexual assault that continue to haunt California. AB 633 seeks to put sexual predators in jail for life if they attempt to kidnap a child, with the intention of committing lewd acts on the child. AB 168 will allow Tulare County to house out-of-state inmates in its Adult Pre-Trial facility - a facility that now sits empty for lack of funding.

AB 506 - which the Committee unanimously passed - will give sexual assault victims a toxicology screen as part of the forensic exam when the history of their contact with the predator indicates that drugs or alcohol may have been used in order to perpetrate an assault. Sexual predators are using drugs, such as GHB, more frequently in rape cases. GHB renders a victim unconscious within minutes of being ingested and leaves a victim in a comatose state for up to twelve hours. When victims are raped under the influence of such a drug, they will be unable to provide key details - or any details at all - to law enforcement which makes finding perpetrators nearly impossible. Just last month, Andrew Luster of Santa Barbara was convicted of using this substance to rape and assault his victims. Yet, only because he videotaped many of his heinous, deplorable acts was law enforcement able to gain a conviction. This case highlights the difficulties in obtaining justice for victims without highly dubious evidence such as self-incriminating videotape. AB 506 will help rectify the situation.

"We need to put a stop to this problem immediately. GHB was showing up in victim urine samples around the time when we all thought it was 'roofies' we needed to watch for. People can make this stuff at home, and up until just about a year ago, some really unconscionable people sold GHB and similar items on the internet - touted as 'the date
rape' drug" said Maze. "These victims can't even remember what happened to them. The only way to catch these criminals is to get a urine sample and to get it quickly."

AB 633 – which furthered protections for children against sexual predators - also passed with a tremendous showing of bipartisan support. The bill will address horrific shortcomings in our penal code - shortcomings that let child molesters and sexual predators have contact with our children, and perpetrate crimes that cause irreparable harm. AB 633 will not only close technical loopholes that have let sex offenders out early, but more importantly, put criminals who kidnap children with the intent of committing a lewd and lascivious act against a child in prison for life. Mark & Cindy Sconce, parents of child murder victim Courtney Sconce, and Kim Swartz, mother of Amber Swartz who was abducted in 1988 and never seen again, spoke passionately on behalf of Maze's AB 633.

Said Maze "Based on the recidivism rates of child molesters and predators, there is simply no room for these offenders in our community. We shouldn't have to lock up our kids to keep them safe. Sexual predators belong in prison, behind bars, where they can’t harm another child. Child molesters continue to prove, with heartbreaking consistency, that they are not treatable. They will continue their behavior for as long as they are allowed to move freely and interact with children. I am very grateful to the members of the Assembly Public Safety for their strong and unanimous support of this bill. It is my sincere hope that all members of the California State Legislature will acknowledge the great need for AB 633 so we may further the momentum we’ve built and protect our children. There is no greater loss to a mother, father, or a community as a whole than to lose a child."

Tulare County has a pressing need to reopen its state-of-the-art Adult Pre-Trail facility. AB 168 aims to meet that need. While the bill failed passage in its current form (by a vote of 2-5), Assemblyman Maze is dedicated to working with the committee to draft amendments that will secure passage for this very important bill. “The county is facing unprecedented financial challenges, and the fiscal benefits this bill will bring will be tremendous,” Maze stated. "I still have very high hopes for this bill. Tulare County really needs it, and I hope that the committee ultimately recognizes the important benefits this bill will bring to my district."

Assemblyman Maze represents the 34th District, which includes Tulare, Kern, San Bernardino and Inyo counties.

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