COLORADO
Greeley Tribune
Rebecca Waddingham, waddingham@greeleytrib.com
February 12, 2006
Colorado lawmakers under fire from the Denver Archdiocese defended proposed legislation last week regarding the punishment for sex offenses against children.
The three bills would remove statutes of limitation for criminal and civil proceedings, meaning victims of sex crimes can sue decades after an incident, even if the perpetrator is dead.
The archdiocese took aim at the lawmakers, saying the bills unfairly hold churches and private nonprofits to a different standard. The Catholic church has come under fire nationally in recent years for allegedly harboring accused sex offenders in its ranks.
Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, one of the bills' authors, said the church missed the point.
"The Catholic church has masterfully taken the true focus off House Bill 1088, which is designed to protect children, and put the focus on protecting institutions," Marshall said.