JEFFERSON CITY (MO)
Baptist News Global [Jacksonville FL]
May 19, 2026
By Mallory Challis
Statute of limitations reform legislation died last Friday after the Missouri Legislature adjourned without passing at least one of the companion bills, SJR-93 and HJR-130, despite the Against the Clock advocacy campaign urging voters to call their representatives and emphasize the importance of the resolutions.
These resolutions would have been the first step in getting retroactive statute of limitations reform passed into law.
The proposed legislation would have allowed Missourians to vote on whether their Legislature is able to narrowly amend the state’s Constitution to create retrospective laws, specifically pertaining to civil child sexual abuse and trafficking cases.
As it stands, the Missouri Constitution does not allow for retrospective laws to be enacted, meaning reform is only possible for civil cases that occur in the future. Current Missouri law does not allow survivors to bring a civil claim against negligent institutions past the age of 26 or against direct perpetrators past the age of 31.
Advocates say this is not enough, as the narrow window of time afforded to survivors does not align with psychological research on delayed disclosure. According to experts, it takes most child sexual abuse survivors decades to be psychologically prepared to share their stories with others. Most survivors disclose their experiences for the first time between the ages of 50 and 70.
To date, 34 other states and U.S. territories have changes civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse in light of this research — leaving Missouri behind and with an “F” grade from the National Children’s Justice Campaign.
But while these resolutions were not passed by this year’s May 15 deadline, survivors, advocates, families and community members who support this legislation are not giving up.
“I’m so proud of the countless survivors of childhood crimes who testified, walked the halls, called, emailed and spoke with the media to ensure their voices were heard in Jefferson City this session,” said Elizabeth Phillips, founder of No More Victims and an advocate who’s worked in Missouri on child protection laws for five sessions. “It is more obvious than ever who the opposition is and that Missouri’s Constitution must change to protect children — which requires a vote of the people that bad actors and those protecting them seem to really fear.”