Urgent action is needed on child abuse bill

For far too long now victims of childhood sexual abuse have been waiting for an opportunity to sue their accusers even if a considerable amount of time has passed since the abuse occurred.

Ever since he entered the Legislature nearly a decade ago, state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Muhlenberg Township Democrat and victim of childhood sexual abuse himself, has been proposing legislation that would establish a window for people sexually abused as children to file civil claims against those responsible.

It’s come tantalizingly close to seeing the light of day, with significant bipartisan support in both chambers of the General Assembly, but resistance by Republican leader in the state Senate has kept it from getting done.

Now Gov. Tom Wolf is trying to break the logjam.

Last week Wolf, joined by Rozzi and other victims of abuse, held a press conference at the Capitol during which he vowed to call a special session of the Legislature this summer if lawmakers failed to enact Rozzi’s legislation by the end of June, when the next state budget is due.

Republican leaders in Harrisburg seemed unmoved by Wolf’s threat. That’s not surprising. Wolf has the power to call a special session, but that doesn’t mean lawmakers have to do what he wants them to do.

The best thing Wolf’s latest move is likely to accomplish is to bring the issue back to the forefront and perhaps inspire enough public pressure to persuade recalcitrant lawmakers that it’s time to pass this law.

What’s odd about this situation is that it’s not a matter of Democrats in the minority trying to enact legislation against steadfast Republican opposition. After all, this bill passed the House by a 149-52 vote and made it through the Senate Judiciary Commitee by an 11-3 vote. That level of bipartisanship is pretty rare in Harrisburg on a major issue such as this one.

The problem all along has been that Republican Senate leaders don’t want the measure put up for a full vote, and they have the power to see that it doesn’t.

Opponents of Rozzi’s legislation argue that enacting a constitutional amendment is the preferable route to achieving the desired change in the law, as it would limit likely legal challenges by lawsuit defendants.

Legislation to enact such an amendment has been approved, but it’s a slow process. Amendments must be approved by the House and Senate in two consecutive legislative sessions before being put before voters. An error by the Department of State left the measure off the ballot in 2021 and delayed the process even further. The earliest it could come before voters now is 2023.

We agree with Wolf and Rozzi that this issue needs to be addressed more swiftly than that. It’s already taken far too long.

“To refuse to allow the Senate to even vote while victims are being denied justice and the compensation necessary to receive potentially lifesaving mental health treatment is unconscionable,” Rozzi said.

He also noted, correctly, that if Senate leaders have concerns about his bill’s constitutionality, they should put their arguments before the Senate and let lawmakers decide who is right rather than not letting them have a say.

We urge Senate leaders to allow the bill to come up for a vote as soon as possible, and for lawmakers in that body to follow the lead of their House colleagues and send it to the governor.

It’s a tragedy that we keep returning to this point. We have enormous respect for Rozzi’s persistence in trying to get this accomplished after so many years of setbacks.

This is about more than getting justice for those who have been abused in the past. It’s about preventing future generations of children from being abused by exposing predators who have yet to be unmasked.

Lawmakers must not miss yet another opportunity to give victims a chance to be heard and compensated as quickly as possible and to potentially stop future tragedies.