OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Legislation that authorizes public schools to implement programs intended to help prevent child sexual abuse has been approved by an Oklahoma Senate committee.
The Senate Committee on Education voted 12-1 for the House-passed bill Monday and sent it to the full Senate for a vote.
Republican Sen. A.J. Griffin of Guthrie says her bill is designed to empower children and young adults by giving them the skills to identify dangerous situations and avoid them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 25 percent of women and 16 percent of men are sexually abused as children.
The bill is known as Erin's Law, named after a childhood sexual assault survivor in Illinois, and is similar to laws in effect in about 20 states.