BishopAccountability.org
	Panel Backs Tougher Penalties for Abuse By Peter Smith Courier-Journal February 20, 2008 http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS0101/80220040 FRANKFORT, Ky. — A bill strengthening penalties for sexual abusers and those who fail to report them passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously this afternoon. The vote came after committee members listened in somber quiet to the gripping testimony of abuse victims and their advocates. The bill now goes to the full House and could be voted on within the next week, said its lead sponsor, Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville. "What this does is create a climate where people understand we are taking the abuse of children seriously in this state," Wayne said. "Quite simply, we will not tolerate it." The bill raises from misdemeanors to felonies several types of sexual abuse of minors, and it also imposes progressively steeper penalties for people who fail to report sexual abuse to authorities. Among those testifying for the bill, which has more than 20 House sponsors from both parties, were representatives of Kentucky Youth Advocates, the lay Catholic reform group Voice of the Faithful and the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, representing the state's bishops. In recent years, the Archdiocese of Louisville and the Diocese of Covington have agreed to pay a combined total of more than $100 million to victims of sexual abuse by priests. "The church has experienced a crisis without precedent in our time," said conference executive director Ed Monahan. "Sexual abuse of children by priests and others, and the way those crimes and sins were addressed, have caused unspeakable harm. No child should ever be abused by anyone, especially those who work for the church. The bishops express great sorrow and profound regret for the pain so many have endured." Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, predicted passage of the bill in the full House and Senate, saying it's "very difficult to be against" such legislation. Under the bill, most forms of sexual abuse would be a felony if committed on anyone up to age 16. Currently some forms of abuse of those 12 and up is a misdemeanor, which carries a lower penalty and cannot be prosecuted more than a year after the offense or when the victim turns 18. Felonies have no statute of limitations on when they can be prosecuted. And abuse of anyone up to 18 is considered a felony when committed by someone in a "position of trust or authority."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.