Court Opinion

ID: 9551725
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:58:11.362457+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:24:26.946030
License: Public Domain

ON PETITION FOR REHEARING.
SWANSTROM, Judge.
In our initial opinion we held that the state in a prosecution for rape or assault with intent to commit rape, has the burden of alleging and proving either (a) the absence of a marriage between the defendant and the alleged victim or (b) the presence of special circumstances delineated by statute under which a husband may be prosecuted for the actual or attempted rape of his wife. The state has petitioned for rehearing, contending that we did not utilize the appropriate rules of statutory construction in arriving at this conclusion. The state has filed an extensive brief in support of the petition, and we deem argument upon rehearing to be unnecessary.
The state contends that where, as here, an “exception” to a crime is contained in a statute separate from the statute defining the crime, and there is no reference in the definitional statute to the exceptions contained in the separate statute, the exception is an affirmative defense which the defendant has the burden of proving. See Commonwealth v. Hart, 11 Cush. (Mass.) 130 (1853); Anno. 153 A.L.R. 1218 (1944). We disagree and hold the application of such a rule is not appropriate here.
A basic rule of statutory construction is to give effect to the legislature’s intent in passing a statute. Gavica v. Hanson, 101 Idaho 58, 608 P.2d 861 (1980). In doing so, a court should construe all sections of applicable statutes together to determine the legislative intent. Magnuson v. Idaho State Tax Comm., 97 Idaho 917, 556 P.2d 1197 (1976).
Our Supreme Court in State v. Jeanoes, 36 Idaho 810, 213 P. 1017 (1923), placed the burden on the state of alleging and proving the absence of a marriage between an accused and a victim in a rape prosecution. The legislative history of the current statutory scheme, I.C. §§ 18-6101 through 6107, and the legislature’s stated purpose in amending the previous statutes persuade us that the legislature did not intend to change the Jeanoes rule when it amended I.C. § 18-6101 in 1977. The 1977 amendment merely removes the “absence of a marriage” provision contained in old I.C. § 18-6101 and places a similar provision in new I.C. § 18-6107 with two qualifications. Two companion statutes were adopted at *429the same time: Idaho Code § 18-6105 limits a defendant’s ability to introduce evidence of the prosecutrix’s prior sexual conduct in a rape prosecution. Idaho Code § 18-6106 provides that a person convicted of rape can be required to pay restitution to the victim.
The legislative statement of purpose, in regard to the above changes, said: “[t]he purpose of this measure is to expand and supplement the existing sexual assault laws in Idaho.” See Statement of Purpose to Senate Bill 1263 (1977).1 The legislature did not express any intent to overrule the Jeanoes decision. If that was the purpose, it could easily have been stated. Shifting the burden to a defendant of proving the absence of an element of a crime should not be lightly inferred. In our examination of this legislative act we do not find the purpose of shifting to the defendant the burden of proving the absence of a marital relationship between the defendant and the victim.
Idaho Code Section 18-6107 presently provides that “[n]o person shall be convicted of rape for any act or acts with that person’s spouse, except____” This is an affirmative statement of policy by the Idaho Legislature forbidding the conviction of a spouse for acts, which would be rape absent the marital relationship, unless one of the two enumerated exceptions in the statute is present. The statute does not merely establish a defense to the crime; it narrows the definition of the crime itself.
For the above reasons, we confirm our holding that the above-quoted provision contained in I.C. § 18-6107 is an integral part of the definition of the crime of rape. The state has the burden of alleging and proving, either the absence of a marital relationship between the defendant and the victim, or alleging and proving one of the enumerated statutory exceptions which allow the prosecution of a husband for the rape of his wife. See 41 Am.Jur.2d Indictments and Informations § 98, pp. 940-41 (1968 & Supp.1981) for a collection of cases on this subject.
The petition for rehearing is denied.
WALTERS, C. J., and BURNETT, J., concur.

. Statements of purpose, along with a statement of financial impact, are introduced with each bill in either the House or Senate. These legislative statements of purpose are available at the state law library. This particular bill made its way through both the House of Representatives and Senate without any amendments indicating a change in the legislative purpose. See House Journal, 44th Leg., 1st Sess. 1977, pp. 176, 217, 234, 287. Under these circumstances a statement of purpose is entitled to some weight in determining legislative intent.