U.S. House passes Arizona-inspired law to protect victims

U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Surprise, who introduced Kayleigh’s Law, said the “federal system still treats protection as temporary.”

“The conviction happens, the sentence runs, and then the victim is left to hope the offender stays away. That is the hole. People who already survived the crime should not have to survive the expiration date too,” the congressman told The Center Square via an email on Tuesday.

Kayleigh Kozak, for whom the law is named, said it was “refreshing to see the House come together for such an important issue.”

According to Kozak, the House passing the bill in 130 days after its introduction “shows how important the issue is and that the victim protection does matter.”

Kozak, who was sexually abused during her childhood, said she has not yet had conversations with U.S. senators, but added she will meet with them to discuss the bill.

She told The Center Square on Tuesday that there is limited education “around the reality of what victim protection actually looks like.”

Kozak said many people do not know that “victims’ direct protection is tied to the offender’s post-conviction conditions,” such as probation or sex offender registration requirements.

Kozak, who works as the senior manager for the America Combats Child Exploitation Initiative at the America First Policy Institute, added that people are not aware that when an offender completes these conditions, a victim’s protection also ends.

As a 12-year-old, Kozak was sexually abused by Josh Jacobsen.

Jacobsen, a former elementary school teacher and soccer coach in the Phoenix area, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and luring a minor for sexual exploitation in 2007. He was sentenced to six months in jail and lifetime probation.

Kozak later obtained a lifetime no-contact injunction against Jacobsen.

According to Kozak, the federal version of Kayleigh’s Law is similar to the Arizona version.

A difference is the Arizona law allows for retroactive petitions for permanent orders of protection, Kozak said.

Having a retroactive petition prevents victims from having to go back to court and face their abuser, she said.

“Arizona is the only state that allows victims to petition for the same protective order available before an offense occurs, even after the perpetrator has been convicted,” she said.

Kozak said Kayleigh's Law has been effective in Arizona at helping thousands of victims get protection.

According to Hamadeh, Arizona has shown that “lifetime no-contact orders change the game.”

“Predators used to wait out probation and then pick up right where they left off," Hamadeh said. "That door is closed. Once the court puts that order in place, it follows the offender until he is gone. Victims are no longer on a countdown clock."