HB 383 Summary

• Creates new Article 7B in Chapter 14 of General Statutes to reorganize and renumber sexual offense statutes for greater clarity and distinguishability between offense types.

• Recodifies existing rape and sexual offense statutes with new section numbers (G.S. 14-27.20 through 14-27.33) and adds descriptive language distinguishing "forcible" offenses from "statutory" offenses.

• Establishes new offenses including first-degree statutory rape (G.S. 14-27.24) and first-degree statutory sexual offense (G.S. 14-27.29) as Class B1 felonies.

• Makes conforming changes throughout the General Statutes to update references to the renumbered sexual offense provisions in statutes related to child abuse, adoption, custody, sex offender registration, and criminal procedure.

• Becomes effective December 1, 2015, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date; does not affect prosecutions for offenses committed before the effective date.