Bill That Would Extend Statute of Limitations for Child Sex-abuse Survivors Passes Committee

By Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa World
February 16, 2017

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capitol_report/bill-that-would-extend-statute-of-limitations-for-child-sex/article_2c3155d4-b5b8-52f4-9bce-f64bba664256.html

Child sex-abuse victims could have more than 40 years to report the crime under legislation approved Wednesday by an Oklahoma House of Representatives committee.

House Bill 1468, by Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, would eliminate the current 12-year statute of limitations and allow charges to be filed against an alleged perpetrator until the victim reaches his or her 45th birthday.

The bill advanced on a vote of 10-0.

“By passing this law, you will be helping not only those who have been abused in the past but children who are being abused right now,” said Ginger Lewis, a Tulsa advocate for child-abuse victims and a survivor herself.

Lewis and a second child-abuse victim, Loretta Lofton of Stilwell, told the Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee that the two of them were adults before they could tell anyone what had happened to them as children.

“The extra time is needed because of the unique trauma suffered,” Lewis said. “Imagine a person you love murdering your soul.”

Lofton said her father began molesting her when she was 7 and continued for eight years.

“I naively believed when I moved away at 18 I’d be able to put it behind me,” Lofton said. “That didn’t happen.”

Lofton said that when she finally did speak out as an adult, her father told her that “I couldn’t do anything” to him because of the statute of limitations.

Lewis and Bush said the age 45 cut-off is a compromise between current law and removing the statute of limitations altogether.

“We tried to make a modest increase from 12 to 18 years (last year), and it failed,” Lewis said. “The best research is that if a victim is to ever disclose, they will disclose before age 45.”

A measure similar to HB 1468 passed the House without dissent last year but died in the Senate because of concern that it could be used to bring false charges.

Lewis and Bush said their legislation includes severe penalties for such claims.

Also Wednesday:

• HB 1709, by Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, became the first measure to fail on the House floor this session.

By a 48-49 vote, members rejected Ritze’s proposal to bar health insurers from requiring network doctors to obtain admitting privileges at specific hospitals. Ritze said the bill would increase patient access and save doctors the trouble and expense of getting hospital privileges they didn’t need.

The bill is opposed by hospitals and insurers, and Democrats delighted in badgering Ritze over what they said was the sort of government meddling in the health-care industry he and other Republicans often accused them of.

• A “constitutional carry” gun bill produced some lively discussion in the Public Safety Committee, with Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, declaring, “I have a hard time seeing Jesus saying, “Yep, carry a gun.”

Virgin was responding to Rep. Jeff Coody, R-Grandfield, whose HB 2323 would allow most people to carry loaded handguns in their vehicles without a permit.

Virgin had been questioning Coody about law enforcement officials’ attitude toward his bill when he said, “The desires of the law enforcement community should never trump a constitutional right. This is a constitutional right.”

A few minutes later, Coody referred to the “God-given, constitutional right” to carry firearms.

This led to a brief exchange about biblical instruction on firearms and culminated in Virgin’s exasperated remark.

Her colleagues laughed heartily, but Virgin objected, saying it was “not funny.” She went on to say that the more guns “in society,” the more likely they are to fall into the hands of “bad people” and the more likely they are to be used against women.

Coody said “people with no regard for the law are always going to find a firearm. And there is always going to be domestic violence. This bill just allows law-abiding citizens who desire to protect themselves (to) defend themselves in worst-case situation.”

• Three bills that author Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, said are intended to ease ballot access for minor party and grassroots candidates were approved by the committee on elections. In general, the bills lower current candidate petition signature requirements and filing fees.

Randy Krehbiel

918-581-8365

Contact: randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com