WACO, Texas (KXXV) — A newly reelected state lawmaker is following through on a promise made outside a Waco courthouse — filing a package of legislation aimed at closing the legal loopholes exposed by a high-profile child sexual abuse case.
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Republican State Rep. Pat Curry filed 5 bills this week, calling them the "Hoffman Bills," named after Adam Hoffman, a former Waco attorney who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his son's friend for years. The case ended in a plea agreement with the Texas Attorney General's Office. Hoffman was sentenced to 60 days in jail, was not required to register as a sex offender in Texas, and had his law license suspended for only 5 years.
A close family friend, speaking on behalf of the victim's family outside the McLennan County Courthouse in May, captured the frustration felt by many.
"My son deserved protection, instead every authority protected his abuser," the family friend said.
Curry made a public vow at that courthouse appearance to change the law. After winning reelection in the midterms, he says he is taking those promises straight to the Capitol.
"So what if, let's learn from the mistakes that are made and, and do try to fix those problems where we can. So we identified 5 or 6 sections of law where we can make a difference and at least do our best to keep that type of thing from happening again and protect the safety and well-being of Texas children," Curry said.
The five bills seek to strengthen sex offender registration requirements, raise the age from 12 to 14 for using recorded child testimony in court, accelerate child abuse reporting, and ban convicted lawyers from practicing law.
Curry said the sex offender registration bill addresses a specific gap the Hoffman case exposed.
"The first one is making sure that we strengthen the sex offender registration. It's ridiculous that somebody can plead guilty to something, and, and lower the charge down to a class A misdemeanor and never get a sex offender status," Curry said.
He said he expects the hardest bill to pass will be the one raising the age limit, from 12 to 14, for using a child's recorded abuse statement in court.
In the Hoffman case, prosecutors agreed to a misdemeanor plea bargain in part because the young victim did not want to testify again.
"That original interview, which is done with, no parents in the room, no lawyers in the room, a licensed, highly qualified therapist is questioning the child, and that's the outcry. That's where the child is saying something happened to me, and that should be allowed to be used. That'll be a controversial one because of the way the legal system works," Curry said.
Curry says if the bills pass, it will mark a major milestone for both Central Texas and the entire state.
"These are my children, and you did this in my backyard. And I can tell you one thing, it'll make a big difference," Curry said.
Curry said a sixth bill is also in the works, but details are being kept under wraps for now.
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