Lawsuits: Committee Passes Sex-Abuse Bill on Second Try
By Jim Miller
The Assembly Appropriations Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would extend the statute of limitations for some alleged victims of childhood sexual abuse, reversing course from a week ago. Senate Bill 131, sponsored by the National Center for Victims of Crime, would create a one-year window for people to sue groups who otherwise would be immune from litigation because of the amount of time elapsed since the alleged abuse. Supporters say the measure would override a recent California Supreme Court ruling that prevents some childhood sex abuse victims from having their day in court. The California Catholic Conference, private schools and nonprofit groups such as the YMCA and USA Swimming strongly oppose the proposal. They say it would be unfair to extend the statute of limitations on previously expired claims. The measure passed the Senate and another Assembly committee. Last Wednesday, though, it fell three votes short of the nine necessary to pass the appropriations panel after several lawmakers abstained. The measure’s author, state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, asked for reconsideration and the bill was taken up as a vote-only item Wednesday. In an interview earlier this week, Beall had said he was unsure if the bill would pass, calling it “a toss-up.” Wednesday, the measure passed 11-3, with three abstentions, including two Democrats. The sole Republican supporter was Assemblyman Eric Linder, R-Corona, who had previously abstained. In an interview earlier this week, Linder said he abstained because he wanted the bill to apply to public agencies such as schools. “What it does is it creates two classes of victims,” Linder said Monday. “I think that the author should consider adding public entities to it. That way, there’s justice for all.” Linder was not immediately available for comment after Wednesday’s vote.
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