Bill extending sexual assault reporting clears Nevada panel

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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada Assembly panel has unanimously approved a bill extending the state's statute of limitations on sexual assault cases.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee voted to approve AB212 on Wednesday. The proposal now moves to the Assembly for a floor vote.

Democratic Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams is sponsoring the bill. She invited a woman who said comedian Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her decades ago to testify in March during a hearing on the bill.

The original proposal called for a removal of the statute of limitations altogether, but an amendment instead lifted it to 20 years following the assault. Current Nevada law caps the reporting period for sexual assaults at four years.

Proponents of the bill said it would help sexual assault victims who often wait to file police reports.