HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Gov. Tom Wolf is calling for a special session of the General Assembly to take up a constitutional amendment that would retroactively extend the timeframe for child sex abuse survivors to sue their abusers.
Wolf said the session, to convene on Monday, is a critical step toward allowing the Legislature to focus on what he calls an “important and potentially life-saving task.”
The governor’s call comes just days after Mark Rozzi — then a Democrat — was elected speaker of the House, following a surprise nomination from Republican Jim Gregory. (After he secured the House speakership, Rozzi left the Democratic Party and declared himself independent.)
Like Rozzi, Gregory is a survivor of clergy sex abuse. Gregory is also the prime sponsor of the legislation that carries the amendment.
Rozzi has been very outspoken in his support for an extension of the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. He issued a response to Wolf’s proclamation, thanking the governor and doubling down on his focus.
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“I came to Harrisburg with one purpose: to see that survivors of childhood sexual assault in Pennsylvania receive the justice that they deserve,” he said.
“Let me be clear: As long as I am the speaker of the House of Representatives, the House will consider no other legislation until the General Assembly passes the language of Representative Gregory’s constitutional amendment.”
Joining the governor, Rozzi is calling for the Legislature to pass the joint resolution by Jan. 27, so the constitutional amendment can be on the ballot in the May primary.
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“This amendment must be passed without delay,” Rozzi’s statement read. “How many victims of childhood sexual assault must take their lives before we give them access to the treatment that they desperately need and deserve?”
House Republican leader Bryan Cutler said Friday he does not believe that taking up the proposed amendment in special session is in the best interests of the commonwealth.
"Passing this constitutional amendment was something we have done easily in the past and have already committed to running this session. We can do this work in regular session, while also addressing other urgent needs the people of Pennsylvania expect us to address in a timely manner," Cutler said,
Both the state House and Senate passed the measure last session. A constitutional amendment must clear both chambers in two consecutive legislative sessions, and then must be advertised for a period of 90 days prior to an election before it can go on a ballot for citizens to vote on it.
A similar proposal passed in 2020, but the Department of State bungled the public notice, leading to the resignation of Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Bookvar, and forcing legislators to scrap the amendment and start the process over from the beginning.
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