PA Senate passes bills tied to report of grand jury that investigated child sex abuse by priests

Nov. 21--The Pennsylvania Senate late Wednesday voted to start a process to amend the state constitution to allow for a 2-year window for survivors of child sex abuse to file civil suits against their abusers, regardless of when the abuse occurred.

The resolution and three other bills passed by the Senate ? including one that removed the statute of limitations on criminal charges against child sex abusers and boosted age limits for filing civil suits ? all were tied directly to recommendations in the 2018 report by a Pennsylvania grand jury that investigated child sex abuse by Catholic priests.

"I am tired. This has been a long seven years," said state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat elected in 2012 who is an abuse survivor himself and was the highest-profile proponent of the landmark changes. "We have never given up, and I want the victims to know that."

It was a momentous proceeding for survivors of child sex abuse, many who watched via live stream on home computers or live in the Senate gallery.

The grand jury report, which detailed sexual abuses by more than 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, drew international attention and led to similar grand jury investigations in other states. The grand jury was led by the office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who late Wednesday issued a written statement that said the voices of survivors had been heard.

"These reforms are more than just statutory changes," Shapiro said. "They fundamentally change our justice system to better protect victims and hold abusers, and those who cover up abuse, accountable under the law."

Gov. Tom Wolf had already expressed his support for passage of legislation based on the grand jury recommendations.

The other two bills passed by the Senate would clarify state law concerning penalties for an ongoing failure to report continuing sexual abuse, and strengthen language that prevents confidentiality agreements from stopping a victim from talking to law enforcement.

All four bills have now been passed by the House and Senate.

But two ? the statute of limitations-altering bill and the one dealing with penalties for failure to report ? must return to the House for its approval on amendments made in the Senate. Those votes could happen Thursday.

If they succeed, all the bills will go to Wolf for his signature, with the exception of the constitutional amendment resolution.

"Pure unadulterated evil" is how Republican Sen. Wayne Langerholc, who represents Bedford and Cambria counties and part of Clearfield County, Wednesday night described the findings in the report.

His district, he said, was "ground zero" for some of the worst abuse by priests. Speaking to victims of child sexual abuse, he said, "You have hurt in a way that no one can ever know."

The vote to approve the start of the constitutional amendment process was 42-6.

The rest of that process includes a repeat passage of the bill by both the House and Senate in the next legislative session, followed by voter approval in a referendum. Depending on the time of the votes, it could take more than three years.

Sen. Katie Muth, a Montgomery County Democrat, repeatedly pushed for an alternate route to opening up the two-year window for lawsuits. She also criticized the constitutional amendment bill for being limited to people who suffered abuse as children.

Approving the bill, she said, would fall short of helping others who have suffered abuse. Muth identified herself as a rape victim and said "what age you were raped at" was not a factor in the level of your suffering.

Muth and others also favored opening the two-year window for civil lawsuits by the traditional legislative process of passing a law, rather than the lengthy constitutional amendment.

But Rozzi, who watched the proceedings from the Senate gallery, had come to a bipartisan agreement with Republican legislative leaders earlier this year on how to approach the package, and the constitutional amendment approach was deemed the best route.

Among the victims who watched the proceedings from home was Michael McDonnell, 51, of Bristol, Bucks County.

He worried about the power of the Catholic church during the years before all the steps to amend the constitution are complete.

"We have to wait for the process to unfold and it is open to infection," he said.

Another abuse survivor, 49-year-old Shaun Dougherty, said passage of the bills was a "big step forward."

But he believed the victim community would have to work hard to make sure the Legislature took up the bill again during the 2021-2022 session, in order to continue movement toward the constitutional amendment.

"We have to make sure it comes back to the House and Senate again," he said.

McDonnell said that when he was 12 years old, he was sexually assaulted by two different priests in two different places.

Rozzi and the sponsor of the constitutional amendment bill -- Republican Rep. Jim Gregory of Blair County, who also suffered abuse as a child -- were in the chamber and were given a round of applause, led by Republican Majority Leader Jake Corman.

Morning Call reporter Ford Turner can be reached at 717-783-7305 or fturner@mcall.com

___

(c)2019 The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)

Visit The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) at www.mcall.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.