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Bill Allowing Young Victims To Secretly Record Attackers Heads To Senate Floor

Sen. Benacquisto's twitter

A measure allowing certain abuse victims to secretly record their attackers to use as evidence in court is now heading to the Senate floor.

Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto’s (R-Fort Myers) bill specifically pertains to child victims.

“This bill would allow children under the age of 18 to record communication that would capture the intent to commit or the commission or an admission that there has a commission been an unlawful sexual act or unlawful act of physical force or violence against that child,” said Benacquisto, during the bill's last committee stop.

And, the measure unanimously passed the Senate Rules Committee Thursday—thus sending it to the floor. Meanwhile, the House already passed a similar measure last month. Unlike the Senate bill, the House version allows all victims of sexual and physical abuse to use secret recordings.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.