(CNN) A bill languishing in the North Carolina state senate could clarify the state's definition of sexual consent and close what some are calling a "legal loophole" for rape.

North Carolina is the only state where you can't legally withdraw consent once a sex act has started, says Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson. He's the primary sponsor of SB 563.

"I think the importance of this issue is self-evident," Jackson tells CNN. "I just don't think we can defend a loophole in our rape law that allows this."

Even though Jackson says there's strong bipartisan support for SB 563, it wasn't addressed in time for the state Senate's crossover deadline. Now, the only way the bill can be passed this year, Jackson says, is if it is added as an amendment to another bill.

It's based on a 1979 case

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