Child sexual abuse victims to have more time to bring civil suit under bill signed Wednesday

OKLAHOMA CITY - Gov. Mary Fallin on Wednesday signed a measure giving victims of sexual abuse until age 45 to bring a civil suit against the perpetrator.

The current age is 20, said Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, the House author of House Bill 1470.

Bush said it often takes a long time for survivors of child abuse to heal enough to talk about what happened to them.

"It gives some sort of closure on a bad chapter of their lives so they can move on," Bush said.

Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, is the Senate author. He said research shows that child sexual abuse victims normally do not want to talk about the crime until they are in their 40s.

The bill "better provides for justice to be done."

The Legislature passed and Fallin signed a similar law, House Bill 1468, for criminal cases, Holt said.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said the extended time to report is important.

"We have learned many things over the course of time regarding child sexual abuse. One thing is that disclosure is a process which may take many years to accomplish due to the violation of trust that these children endured," he said.

Fallin also signed a measure that would allow for the creation of a veterans cemetery in Ardmore.

Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, said Senate Bill 543 will provide more options for veterans.

"This cemetery will help address a shortage of space nationwide for our veterans as well as provide a place close to home for our Oklahoma veterans," Simpson said. "We've been meeting with federal and state officials for the last 18 months about this project and have since also visited with the Ardmore City Council and local citizens, all of whom are pleased to be a part of this important project to ensure our veterans can be laid to rest with dignity and honor."

The Ardmore Veterans Center has 53 acres. The cemetery would use 23 acres southwest of the center.

It would be the first cemetery operated by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. An Oklahoma City state-owned cemetery is operated by the Oklahoma Military Department.

The project is estimated to cost $9 million.

If approved, the federal Veterans Administration would cover all of the initial costs of construction and provide funds for equipment for operations.

The state would have to provide $1 million but would be reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs by July 1.

The site would be required to meet certain standards for design and eligibility of veterans interred at the cemetery. The state would be responsible for maintenance of the cemetery.

It would offer 32,000 plots and take nearly 200 years to reach capacity.