Rozzi Renews Push to Aid Child Sex Abuse Victims
By Michael Yoder
The process of seeking justice for victims of child sexual abuse has been renewed this week in the state Legislature after last year's contentious battle. Lawmakers have introduced competing bills in the House and the Senate. State Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Muhlenberg Township Democrat, reintroduced his bill on Tuesday that would allow abuse victims to bring lawsuits in cases that took place years or even decades ago. Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, a Jefferson County Republican, had his own bill move to the Senate floor Monday and could see a vote as early as Wednesday. Scarnati's bill would give future abuse victims a longer window to bring civil and criminal charges. But it does not include the retroactive provision Rozzi says is crucial for victims. Rozzi insists that the legislation should allow any victims of abuse to pursue civil claims in court, even if the abuse occurred decades ago and has passed the statutes of limitation. Rozzi said that he and his colleagues are preparing for another battle to keep the retroactive provision in the bill. And he said supporters won't settle for anything less. "People understand that we just may never get the opportunity ever again, and we're at the doorstep and we are knocking," Rozzi said. "We have to take it the distance to get this done. If we back off now, we might as well pack our bags." The issue is highly personal to Rozzi, who was sexually assaulted by a priest. Rozzi views Scarnati's bill as a "vehicle" to amend in the House and send back to the Senate with changes, reinserting the retroactive provision that was removed in a Senate bill last year. The Senate passed that bill but lawmakers in the House and Senate couldn't resolve their differences on the competing bills. The House reconvenes Monday, but Rozzi said he's spoken to leadership and there are no plans to rush through the legislation without bipartisan discussions. State Rep. Ron Marsico, a Dauphin County Republican, introduced a House bill similar to Scarnati's legislation. It would eliminate the statutes of limitation in criminal cases and changes the deadline for future civil action from age 30 to 50. Rozzi said that Scarnati has made comments about wanting to compromise on everything except the retroactive clause of his bill, stating that he believes the clause could be ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. "To me, that's not compromise," Rozzi said. "We have compromised in every possible way we could already." Rozzi said he's working on an appeal to send to the attorney general's office to get a ruling on the constitutionality of the retroactive clause. And Rozzi said he's also been in contact with Gov. Tom Wolf in an attempt to get the governor to send his own opinion on the clause to the attorney general's office. A state grand jury led by the attorney general's office is investigating abuse allegations at Catholic dioceses throughout Pennsylvania. Rozzi said that investigation shows why it's important to give all victims a chance to seek justice. "I'm not willing to compromise anymore - we've done that, we're done," Rozzi said. Contact Michael Yoder: 610-371-5033 or myoder@readingeagle.com
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