Victim’s personal story fuels push for federal ‘Kayleigh’s law’ to protect sexual abuse victims

After being sexually abused at a young age, Kayleigh Kozak later faced the prospect that her abuser could have his lifetime probation terminated, leaving her with no legal protections. That prospect inspired her to change the law to provide lifetime protections to victims of sexual crimes to prevent any contact, legal or otherwise, with the offender. Kozak serves as the Senior Manager, Combating Child Exploitation at the America First Policy Institute.

“So, when I was in sixth and seventh grade, I was sexually abused by my PE teacher, who was also my club soccer coach. I turned him in a year later, and he was sentenced. He was facing 25 years to life, but he received nine months in jail and two terms of lifetime probation–a very, very sweetheart plea deal. And, my life turned upside down in 2020 when I discovered that lifetime did not mean lifetime, and that he could in fact have the terms of his so-called lifetime probation terminated. If those were terminated, I would have no option for protection,” Kozak told the Just the News, No Noise TV show. “It was all or nothing.” 

The Kayleigh’s Law bill passed the House of Representatives last month by a voice vote

Her advocacy led to the first law of its kind, dubbed Kayleigh’s Law, in her home state of Arizona. The law allowed victims of specific dangerous and sexual crimes to petition the court for a permanent no-contact injunction against their abusers. Under the law, abusers can face criminal charges for violating the no-contact order. And, the only way the protections can be lifted is if the victim chooses to do so or the conviction is overturned in a court of law. 

Kozak’s advocacy spurred Congressman Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., to introduce a federal equivalent to Kayleigh’s law to provide the same protections to victims of federal sexual crimes and violent felonies. The Kayleigh’s Law bill passed the House of Representatives last month by a voice vote, indicating widespread support among both parties in the chamber.

“When I ran for Congress, I promised Kayleigh this would be one of my first bills that I get introduced, and we've been working hard on it. And I couldn't have done this without Kayleigh, and we're a good dynamic duo. And it's just I want — I was a former prosecutor, so I understand these issues, and I want to right this wrong, because no victim should have to face their abuser over and over again,” Hamadeh told the Just the News, No Noise TV show.  

The bill must pass two more hurdles before it can become law: a vote in the Senate and the signature of the president. 

“I hope they get it done,” Kozak said. “Victims are worthy of this protection. They should never have to continue to fight for protection from the person who's been convicted of harming them. And the reality is that protection is not indefinite, and they don't have this option to petition for a permanent order of protection, and so that's the very least that we can give to victims.” 

The legislation would prohibit all forms of direct or indirect contact with a victim for the rest of the convicted felon’s life, remaining in effect even after prison, probation, or supervised release ends. The permanent protections are necessary, Kozak says, because of the trauma that befalls victims who are dragged back into court proceedings sometimes many years later. For Kozak, that happened as recently as February when her abuser went to court seeking changes to his sentencing. 

Kozak: "Victims are very rarely taken into consideration"

“It's been 20 years since he was convicted, and I had to go back because he keeps taking me back to court because he wants the conditions of his sentence to change, and the reality is, that's what they get to do. And victims are very rarely taken into consideration,” Kozak said. “People do not think about the later trauma that comes. I never thought 20 years later that I'd be fighting my abuser. Still, he's taken me back to court numerous times. He's taken this case to court numerous times, and it's terrible.” 

This forces victims to relive their experiences, rather than allowing them to move on. “Every time I see him, I go back to being the little 12-year-old girl who was locked in a closet at school and molested at a place where I should have been safe. And I just, I know what it feels like, and I know the reality of it,” she said.