PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive
By Ivey DeJesus | idejesus@pennlive.com
Just one month after a grand jury report shed light on the latest systemic child abuse case in a Pennsylvania Catholic diocese, the Legislature may be poised to reform some of the laws that extend rights to victims of sexual abuse to seek legal recourse.
The legislation likely to come out of the General Assembly may not be the overhaul reform advocates have been looking for, but the final product could just be a workable compromise.
According to state Rep. Mark Rozzi, (D-Berks), the House Judiciary Committee could next week advance on to the House floor for a vote a bill that would eliminate all criminal and civil statutes of limitations going forward.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Ron Marsico, has, according to Rizzo, placed HB 655 on the calendar for Tuesday. PennLive made several attempts to speak to Marsico but requests for interview were denied. A representative from his office told PennLive that the Dauphin County Republican planned to put a written statement with regards to the statute of limitations.
The bill on the calendar for Tuesday, which is sponsored by Rep. Ed Gainey, D-Allegheny,would eliminate all civil and criminal statutes of limitations on sex crimes here on out. The bill would have no retroactive component, meaning that adults who were sexually abused as children would still get no recourse under the law.
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