ERIE (PA)
GoErie.com

October 13, 2018

By Ed Palattella

State senator wants legislation over grand jury report to include both a church-created compensation fund and a two-year window for victims to sue.

State Sen. Dan Laughlin is proposing a compromise over what is expected to be the main topic of debate when the Senate reconvenes in Harrisburg on Monday: legislation to create a two-year window for child sexual abuse victims to sue, no matter what the statute of limitations.

Laughlin, of Millcreek Township, R-49th Dist., said he supports the creation of the window, which is one of the four recommendations included in the Aug. 14 grand jury report on child sexual abuse in six Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, including the Catholic Diocese of Erie.

But Laughlin said he also supports the creation of a church-controlled victims’ compensation fund, which church leaders are backing rather than the two-year window.