HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Two Pennsylvania lawmakers plan to unveil legislation that would temporarily lift the statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases.
Sen. Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin) will introduce Senate Bill 1103 while Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) will introduce companion legislation, House Bill 238.
Both measures would establish a two-year window during which the civil statute of limitations would be suspended to allow past victims of child sex abuse to access the justice system and expose guilty perpetrators, according to Rozzi.
“It is not right that sexual predators are permitted to continue to walk the streets and essentially be protected by the law. It’s time the law is changed to expose these monsters and keep our children safe,” Rozzi said in a statement.
“Similar legislation in California and Delaware unmasked hundreds of predators and helped to protect a generation from abuse,” he said.
Jeff Anderson & Associates Note: Legislation aimed at lifting or extending statutes of limitations in child abuse cases is often intended to give survivors more time to come forward and pursue legal action. Many survivors do not report abuse until adulthood, and changes to these laws are often designed to give survivors the opportunity to seek justice and hold offenders and institutions accountable.