PITTSBURGH (PA)
Post Gazette
October 16, 2018
By Liz Navratil
HARRISBURG – The top Republican in the state Senate said Tuesday that the majority of GOP senators in the chamber agree with him that a pending bill designed to help older victims of child sexual abuse has serious problems and needs fixing.
But Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, also said he has not formally polled his membership to see where they stand on allowing a temporary suspension in the civil statute of limitations so that victims older than 30 can sue their tormentors for decades-old abuse.
The latter is at the heart of a fierce and emotional tug-of-war in the Legislature, and Mr. Scarnati has been among the most vocal opponents of the so-called lawsuit “window”, which he believes is unconstitutional.
“What I can tell you is that there is a majority of members that feel the same way that I feel,” Mr. Scarnati told reporters, speaking of the bill the House passed last week. “I believe we probably have 28 to 30 members that feel that way. My job is to lead a caucus and look for their guidance, and that’s what I’m doing.”
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