Relates to removing the ten year time period from the crime of persistent sexual abuse

This bill (A 870) removes the requirement that prior convictions for certain sexual abuse offenses must have occurred within the last ten years to qualify as "persistent sexual abuse." It directly affects individuals convicted of multiple sexual abuse offenses by eliminating the time limit on counting past convictions. The key change modifies the penal law definition to allow any prior separate convictions (regardless of when they occurred) to be used in determining persistent sexual abuse charges. Persistent sexual abuse remains classified as a class E felony under the current law.