Church Blasts ‘retaliatory’ Resurrection of Sex Abuse Bill

By Kirstan Conley and Carl Campanile
New York Post
June 16, 2015

http://nypost.com/2015/06/16/church-blasts-retaliatory-resurrection-of-sex-abuse-bill/

Assembly Democrats, under pressure from the Catholic Church to pass a tax break to help parochial schools, on Monday revived a bill that would allow lawsuits involving decades-old claims of sexual abuse by priests.

“This is a retaliatory strike against the church,” Dennis Poust, spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference, told The Post.

“We haven’t heard a whisper about this bill in six years .

“If this bill becomes law, it will have catastrophic consequences for the church — and they know it,” Poust added.

The legislation, sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Queens), would wipe out a law giving accusers up to five years to file suit once they reach 18. But after that period, lawsuits are barred.

The new law would allow anyone to sue going back decades for one year after the measure is enacted.

The Democratic-controlled Assembly hasn’t seriously debated the sex- abuse issue since 2008, Poust said. But the dormant proposal was amended on Sunday and put before the Assembly Codes Committee on Monday, when the Legislature was considering a flurry of bills before breaking for summer recess.

The move comes as Democrats in the Assembly, who have close ties to teachers unions, face withering criticism for opposing a plan advanced by Gov. Cuomo and opposed by the unions to aid parochial schools through tax credits.

That proposal, backed by the GOP-controlled Senate, would offer a 75 percent tax credit for donations of up to $1 million to finance scholarships for students at faith-based or other private schools.

It also would provide a tax credit of up to $500 to families with income under $60,000 who have a child in parochial school.

“This is retaliation,” Poust said. “The timing makes it impossible to come to any other conclusion. There are no coincidences in Albany.”

The Catholic Conference sent an e-mail alert to supporters saying it won’t buckle to bullying by lawmakers.

“This is a political maneuver that is beneath the dignity of the state Assembly,” the e-mail blast said. “I urge you to reject this transparent attempt to silence the Church.”

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) dismissed accusations of retribution.

For her part, Markey said she had “nothing to do” with the bill’s resurrection.

“This has been going on for five, six years and California has done this bill,” she said. “Other states have done the bill.”

Brooklyn Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D-Brooklyn), who chairs the Codes Committee, said, “Nobody has told me that this is in retaliation for anything. They just asked that it be put on the agenda.”

He said Markey may have persuaded Heastie to take up the cause.

“Ms. Markey is pretty persistent. We have a new speaker and it hasn’t been considered before by the former speaker for a long time. So, it makes sense that he may have yielded to her,” Lentol said.