More than 30 years ago, Amy Hestir was a middle school student in Moberly who was befriended by a teacher, became intimate with him - and later was assaulted by him.
Two years ago, Hestir - now in her 40s, married and living in Columbia - told the Missouri Senate's Education Committee: "That teacher is the first boy I ever kissed. He's the first boy I ever hugged. He became the first boy I ever had sex with. ...
"And when I said I didn't want to do those things anymore, he raped me."
But she didn't tell her parents about the assault for a number of years. And when they took the case to the Randolph County prosecutor, he said it was too late to file any charges because of the statute of limitations.
Hestir's story bothered Chesterfield Republican Jane Cunningham over the years - and, for several years in both the state House and Senate, she has urged lawmakers to pass her "Amy Hestir" Act aimed at stopping inappropriate contact between students and teachers or other adults in the education system.
Lawmakers this year sent her bill to Gov. Jay Nixon, who has it under review in advance of a mid-July deadline to sign or veto.