Church abuse bill in limbo after hitting wall in Senate

Legislation to respond to Pennsylvania’s landmark grand jury report accusing hundreds of Roman Catholic priests of sexually abusing children over decades stalled in the state Senate on its final scheduled voting day of 2018 amid a showdown over a key provision.

The dispute came down to opposition by the Senate’s huge Republican majority to a provision recommended by the grand jury and backed by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tom Wolf, the House of Representatives, Senate Democratic leaders and victim advocates.

That provision would give now-adult victims of child sexual abuse a two-year reprieve from time limits in state law that otherwise bar them from suing perpetrators and institutions that covered it up.

It was one of four recommendations made by the grand jury in its Aug. 14 report.

Republican senators had long said they considered it unconstitutional after it passed the House overwhelmingly last month. But on Wednesday, they said they were discussing a measure to give victims a two-year window to sue still-surviving perpetrators, but not institutions, such as the Catholic Church.

Shapiro said that plan was unacceptable and would shield the Catholic Church from being held accountable, “the very institution that enabled this abuse.”

House Majority Leader Dave

MARC LEVY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Survivors of child sexual abuse hug in the Pennsylvania Capitol while awaiting legislation to respond to a landmark state grand jury report on child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church Wednesday in Harrisburg.