Reform for child sex abuse survivors facing long odds, again

(The Center Square) – A special Pennsylvania House panel wasted no time Tuesday approving two alternative pathways toward civil retribution for adult survivors of child sexual abuse.

But the offers fall well short of adequate, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, told The Center Square – a comment that appears to foreshadow the long fight ahead.

Pittman said the chamber approved Senate Bill 1 on Jan. 11, but gridlock in the House brought the legislative calendar to a standstill for six weeks. The bill contained three constitutional amendments – the litigation window, voter ID and regulatory reform – that would, after receiving majority support in both chambers, eventually become ballot referendums.

But for House Democrats, who cemented their one-seat majority earlier this month, the two extra amendments poisoned the intent of SB1, unraveling support among members.

During a special session convened Tuesday, House Speaker Mark Rozzi, D-Temple, organized a “Committee to Provide Justice to Otherwise Barred Victims of Childhood Sex Abuse” that instantly voted on both a standalone statutory bill and constitutional amendment to open a two-year retroactive window for survivors to sue abusers.

Senate Republicans prefer the amendment approach because, they say, it avoids an unpredictable legal challenge that could mire a standalone bill in court for years. That viewpoint hasn’t changed, Pittman said Tuesday.

“The Senate has fulfilled and completed our commitment to address this issue and a special session remains unnecessary,” he said. “I believe the only path to resolve the speaker’s top priority is for the House to pass Senate Bill 1 as presented.”