The bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Demetrius Newton of Birmingham got passed by the Senate on Thursday. It cleared the House in January. The bill now goes to the governor for signing into law.
Newton says he introduced the bill because of an incident where a teacher and a 16-year-old student were allegedly having a sexual relationship. He says the school could take no action against the teacher because the student was 16, which is the age of consent in Alabama.
The bill provides that consent is not a defense. It levies a sentence of two to 20 years in prison.
