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	Abuse Bill Stalls in Senate By Peter Smith The Courier-Journal March 21, 2008 http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/faith/2008/03/abuse-bill-stalls-in-senate.html A bill that would toughen penalties for sexual abuse and those who fail to report it has stalled in the Senate, three weeks after passing the House on a 96-0 vote, with support from the state's Catholic bishops and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. House Bill 211, inspired in part by the crisis of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic and other clergy, would make felonies out of various types of sexual offenses against minors -- including that committed by an adult in a position of trust such as a coach, teacher or clergy member. The bill remains in the Senate Judiciary Committee and has not had a hearing. Sen. Robert Stivers, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, had not had a chance to study the bill and has been busy with the budget, according to Lourdes Baez-Schrader, spokeswoman for the Senate Republican majority. Shannon Whelan of the group Protect Our Children KY has been lobbying for the bill and plans to go back again next week. "We're still hopeful something will occur," she said.
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