PENNSYLVANIA
Samaritan SafeChurch
by Linda Crockett, Director of SafeChurch/SafePlaces
Christian faith community leaders are adding their voices to the growing cry for reform of PA’s Statutes of Limitations to support access to justice for survivors, accountability for those who harm, and protection of children. A “sign-on” letter to Senator Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery/Bucks), chair of the Judiciary Committee, is circulating to religious leaders across the state, and I am encouraged by many who indicate they are signing. The link for sign on is open until May 27 at http://www.pcar.org/communities-faith-support-reforming-pas-statutes-limitations-child-sexual-abuse-cases
The letter, initially drafted by SafeChurch as part of a coalition of organizations convened by the PA Coalition Against rape, encourages the Judiciary Committee to act swiftly to move HB 1947, passed by the House last month, in its current form to the Senate for a vote. We also call on Senator Greenleaf to champion the legislation in the Senate. As it stands, the bill will:
1. Eliminate the criminal statutes of limitations for certain child sexual assault cases
2. Extend the civil statute of limitations from at 30 to age 50 to give survivors additional time to attempt to seek damages
• By the time many survivors of child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania begin to deal with their abuse, they are well past their 30th birthday and the window for justice is closed by the civil statute of limitations.
3. The extension of the civil statutes would be “retroactive” for survivors older than 30 but younger than 50 – in other words, those people would now have until age 50 to file.
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