H.B. No. 380 proposes amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure regarding the statutes of limitations for certain criminal offenses, specifically addressing the offense of improper relationship between educator and student. The bill introduces a new provision that establishes a ten-year statute of limitations for this offense, which is categorized under the same timeframe as other serious crimes such as sexual assault and arson. Additionally, the bill modifies the definition of "reportable conviction or adjudication" to include convictions for improper relationships between educators and students, thereby subjecting these offenses to sex offender registration requirements.
The bill also includes several amendments to existing legal language, such as the deletion of certain offenses from the list of felonies with no statute of limitations and the insertion of new offenses that will now fall under this category. Notably, it clarifies that the new provisions will not apply retroactively to offenses that were already barred by limitation prior to the bill's effective date of September 1, 2025. This ensures that any ongoing prosecutions or legal considerations will adhere to the laws in effect at the time the offense was committed.