READING, Pa. (Newsradio 1020 KDKA/AP) - Governor Tom Wolf signed three bills Tuesday increasing protections for sexual abuse victims.
The new laws mirror the Grand Jury’s recommendations after their investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Governor Tom Wolf,
“Many of these survivors have waited years or decades for this moment but the mere fact that we need this legislation is a very sad reminder of the horrors that too many Pennsylvanians have faced,” said Wolf.
The laws extend or abolish the statute of limitations in civil and criminal cases, increases penalties for mandated reporters who fail to report child abuse and make conversations with law enforcement exempt from non-disclosure agreements.
“These reforms fundamentally change our justice system and will protect generations of children who experience abuse from this day on,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “While we still must address justice for those survivors who made this day possible, seeing this progress gives me hope that bravery and activism will win over entrenched interests and powerful institutions.”
The Bill’s that the governor signed are:
House Bill 962, sponsored by Rep. Mark Rozzi, abolishes Pennsylvania’s criminal statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse and extends the timeline victims have to file civil action against their abusers; extends civil statute of limitations for victims age 18-24 until the age of 30; extends the criminal statute of limitations for criminal proceedings for victims age 18-24 for 20 years; and provides counseling services for victims of sexual assault via the Crime Victims Compensation fund through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
House Bill 1051, sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens, increases penalties for failure to report child abuse by a mandated reporter.
House Bill 1171, sponsored by Rep. Tarah Toohil, makes conversations with law enforcement agents exempt from non-disclosure agreements.
Wolf signed the bills at Muhlenberg High School in Reading, the home district of state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, who championed the legislation and who has told of his own rape as a 13-year-old boy by a Roman Catholic priest.
The grand jury report prompted a lengthy battle in the Legislature.
Victims and their advocates had also sought a two-year window to file claims over past abuse, but top Republicans, warning of its unconstitutionality, offered the alternative of amending the state constitution.
The multi-year amendment process has begun, but the bill must again pass both the House and Senate in the 2021-22 legislative session before voters will decide its fate in a statewide referendum.
The main bill in the legislative package ends any statute of limitations, in future cases, for criminal prosecution of major child sexual abuse crimes. Current law limits it to the victim’s 50th birthday.
Victims would have until they turn 55 to sue, compared to age 30 in current law. Young adults ages 18-23 would have until age 30 to use, where existing law gives them just two years.
Police could file criminal charges up to 20 years after the crime when young adults 18-23 years old are the victims, as opposed to 12 years after the crime for victims over 17 in current law.
About two dozen states have changed their laws on statutes of limitations this year, according to Child USA, a Philadelphia-based think tank that advocates for child protection.
In New Jersey, lawmakers expanded the civil statute of limitations from two years to seven years. The bill opened a two-year window, which starts on Dec. 1, to victims who were previously barred by the statute of limitations. It also allows victims to seek damages from institutions.
New York raised the victim's age for which prosecutors can seek a felony indictment from 23 to 28. The law also gave anyone a year starting in August to file child sex abuse lawsuits against individuals and institutions, and civil lawsuits going forward can be filed until the victim is 55, up from 23.
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