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Rozzi renews effort to aid child sex abuse victims

By Liam Migdail-Smith
Reading Eagle
March 6, 2017

http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/rozzi-renews-effort-to-aid-child-sex-abuse-victims

State Rep. Mark Rozzi speaks during a news conference addressing the next steps for House Bill 1947 in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg. The bill would revise the statute of limitations on child sex crimes and abuse.

Last legislative session, state Rep. Mark Rozzi began his push to give victims of childhood sexual abuse a chance to confront their abusers in court with what he saw as a compromise plan.

The Muhlenberg Township Democrat said he'd hoped a limited approach would make it easier to win over skeptics. But state senators nonetheless gutted the bill of the piece victims and their advocates most wanted: an avenue for victims to sue their abusers and organizations that shielded them even if the window to do so has already closed.So as Rozzi reboots the effort this year, he's starting with the proposal victims most want to see. His bill would end time limits for victims to sue or press criminal charges going forward and open a two-year window for those abused in the past to file lawsuits regardless of when they were assaulted.

Now, victims have until age 30 for lawsuits and age 50 to bring criminal cases."All victims should have a right - if they have evidence - to get into a court of law," said Rozzi, who himself was raped as a teen by a priest.Rozzi said he's confident the bill has the votes to clear the House, which overwhelmingly approved his plan last session. And he hopes reports of a state grand jury investigating abuse cover-ups in Catholic dioceses around the state will pressure the Senate to act.The Senate has already approved a competing plan. It would eliminate the criminal limit and extend the civil limit to age 50 but wouldn't open a window for past victims.Abbie Newman - executive director of Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, the agency that works with child abuse victims in Montgomery County - said lawmakers should support the more expansive reforms in Rozzi's bill."I think it's in the best interest of all society and anything less than that is only protecting the perpetrators," she said.It's the norm for children not to report sexual abuse because they are conditioned by their abusers to stay silent and may not even process what happened until they are well into adulthood, Newman said. She said opening a window for adult victims to sue would prompt victims to come forward and expose perpetrators who may still be harming children.The Catholic Church and insurance industry have lobbied against retroactively allowing victims to sue. They argue such changes violate the state Constitution and would open a floodgate of hard-to-defend lawsuits over acts that occurred decades ago.Supporters counter that giving victims a chance to sue isn't a guarantee they'll win."They have to have facts to support their claim," Newman said. "If there are no facts, it's never going to get to trial."Rozzi said the measure is legal and lawmakers should approve it to let the courts decide its constitutionality. He's tweaked the language to ensure that if the retroactive part is blocked, the other protections remain in effect.Attorney General Josh Shapiro told Rozzi in a letter that he believes the measure to be constitutional but he cannot issue an official legal opinion unless requested by the governor or state department head.

Contact: lsmith@readingeagle.com




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