Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo announced Monday that her bill – the Sexual Predator Accountability Act, AB 2147 – was signed into law.
The new law strengthens law enforcement’s ability to prosecute serial sexual offenses that occur across multiple counties, helping protect communities and survivors, improving accountability, and reducing court backlogs.
“No survivor should be forced to navigate a fragmented legal system because their abuser crossed county lines,” said Assemblywoman Schiavo. “The Sexual Predator Accountability Act makes sure our justice system can respond to patterns of abuse with the seriousness they deserve. As a survivor myself, it’s important to me that this law prioritizes protecting survivors, giving prosecutors the tools they need, and making sure predators are held accountable.”
The Sexual Predator Accountability Act updates state law to allow certain sexual offenses against adults and minors to be prosecuted together in one county when the crimes occur in multiple counties. This change helps prosecutors pursue cases more quickly, eliminates the need for survivors to travel to different counties and relive their trauma in multiple courts, and strengthens the tools available to hold serial offenders accountable.
“As a child I testified against my abuser in court,” continued Schiavo. “I still remember the fear and stress that experience caused. No survivor should have to go through this again and again for multiple trials. This law helps reduce victims having to relive their experiences, to get justice faster, and be back on a path to healing more quickly.”
Under current law, county lines make it more difficult to prosecute certain sexual offenses when they happen in different counties, even when the case involves a pattern of predatory behavior. The Sexual Predator Accountability Act helps close that gap by letting district attorneys agree to try certain cases together in a single county, while maintaining safeguards in the legal process.
“This law is a practical step to better protect our community and better support survivors,” added Assemblywoman Schiavo. “I am grateful that this legislation was signed into law and to the prosecutors, advocates, survivors, and partners who helped move this important public safety bill forward.”
The Sexual Predator Accountability Act will take effect on January 1, 2027.
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