Pa. Statute of Limitations Bill for Child Sex Abuse Victims Stalls
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Legislation to respond to Pennsylvania's landmark grand jury report accusing hundreds of Roman Catholic priests of sexually abusing children over decades stalled on the Legislature's final scheduled voting day of 2018 amid a showdown over a key provision.
The dispute came down to opposition by the Senate's huge Republican majority to a provision recommended by the grand jury and backed by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tom Wolf, the House of Representatives, Senate Democratic leaders and victim advocates.
"Disappointed survivors must wait longer for justice. But I am committed to seeing grand jury recommendations implemented," Wolf said in a tweet. "A bipartisan coalition supports these recommendations. I believe we will ultimately prevail. Last night was a setback. We cannot allow it to deter us."
That provision would give now-adult victims of child sexual abuse a two-year reprieve from time limits in state law that otherwise would bar them from suing perpetrators and institutions that covered it up.
It was one of four recommendations made by the grand jury in its Aug. 14 report.
It passed the House overwhelmingly last month, but Republican senators had said they considered it unconstitutional and warned that cash awards in such lawsuits carried serious consequences for church charities.
The Catholic Church and for-profit insurers also opposed it.
On Oct. 17, Senate Republicans floated a measure to give victims a two-year window to sue still-surviving perpetrators, but not institutions, such as the Catholic Church, while creating a framework for a victims' compensation fund that carried more modest payouts.
But House Majority Leader Dave Reed told reporters that his chamber would reject the Senate's plan, and Shapiro said it would shield the Catholic Church from accountability.
Late Oct. 17, Shapiro accused Senate Republicans of siding with insurers and the church, and quitting and going home to campaign ahead of the Nov. 6 election.
