PENNSYLVANIA
Reading Eagle
By Liam Migdail-Smith
The battle over legislation to give child sex-abuse victims more time to pursue claims in court is reaching a boiling point.
A key Senate committee is scheduled to review the measure today.
Child abuse survivors and their advocates have fought for years to extend time limits for criminal charges and lawsuits against abusers and those who shield them. The legislation has gained traction in Harrisburg for the first time in a decade, passing the state House with overwhelming bipartisan support in April.
But state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Muhlenberg Township Democrat, said Friday that he fears the Senate will block or water down the measure amid fierce opposition and intense lobbying from the Catholic Church.
Rozzi, who was sexually abused by a priest when he was a child, has led the effort to extend the statutes of limitation.
After the measure cleared the state House, Catholic Church leaders launched a full-court press aimed at defeating the bill.
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