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	Lawmakers Tackle Issues of Sexual Abuse The Associated Press, carried in Loveland FYI [Colorado] March 6, 2006 http://www.lovelandfyi.com/region-story.asp?ID=4260 DENVER — As state lawmakers consider whether to allow victims of childhood sex abuse to sue over cases from 30 and 40 years ago, they're also deciding whether to get rid of a time limit for prosecuting child molesters from now on. Currently, victims of childhood sex abuse have until they turn 33 to sue the alleged abuser and until age 28 to pursue criminal charges. Victims advocates say that such statutes of limitations favor abusers because they can make their young victims afraid to ask for help and those victims may only come to terms to what happened to them when the current deadlines have passed. Rep. Rosemary Marshall and Sen. Paula Sandoval want to lift those limitations on criminal prosecutions for any abuse that occurred after July 1, 1996. Cases that occurred before that date could still be prosecuted under the bill as long as the statute of limitations won't be reached by July 1, 2006. The measure (House Bill 1088) also originally would have done away with the statute of limitations for future civil lawsuits but that has now been eliminated. Sandoval said criminal prosecutions will help protect children the most. "I think we have the possibility of taking sex offenders off the street who have potentially left a trail of victims," she said. Colorado's three Catholic bishops announced Friday that they support the amended proposal, which is set to be reviewed Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bishops oppose another bill (Senate 143) sponsored by Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald that would open the church and other private institutions to lawsuits over old sex abuse cases because government institutions, such as public schools, wouldn't be open to the same kinds of lawsuits. State law protects government agencies from being held liable for more than $150,000 per claim although they sometimes can be sued in federal court under civil rights law. A third bill (House Bill 1090) by Rep. Gwen Green has been changed to open up public schools to lawsuits if they knew that a teacher had sexually abused a student before and didn't try to prevent them from victimizing more students. Fitz-Gerald said if Green's bill passes, then her bill would also open up public institutions to lawsuits over past abuse. She wants the Senate to vote on Green's bill first. That measure is waiting for a hearing in a Senate committee. Also this week: • Sen. Deanna Hanna, D-Lakewood, has until Monday to respond in writing to an ethics complaint over her request for a $1,400 "reparations" donation from a real estate group. A bipartisan group of senators is investigating. • The House is expected to vote this week on whether to adopt a weakened smoking ban (House Bill 1175) adopted by the Senate last week or push to stick to its version, which would ban smoking in bars, race tracks and bingo halls. Casinos are excluded in both versions. • Drivers could be pulled over and issued a ticket for not wearing a seat belt under a measure (House Bill 1125) set to be considered today by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Right now, authorities can't stop motorists if that is the only offense they see.
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