Two Colorado women who claim to have been sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby urged legislators Thursday to extend the time that sexual assault cases can be prosecuted.
The women testified in favor of legislation that would extend the statute of limitations on felony sexual assault cases from 10 years to 20.
The legislation isn't retroactive, so it wouldn't affect their claims should the proposal become law.
Dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s. Cosby has consistently denied the allegations.
A House committee unanimously voted to move forward with the bill, which is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields.
“Why should we cap a person who has been sexually assaulted when they have to live with that trauma for the whole entire life? They don’t get to cut that off, what happened to them,” Fields said.
Fields also sponsored a separate bill that would have completely abolished the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases. However, she pulled that effort due to legal concerns raised by the committee members.
