From Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (http://www.papartnerships.org):
With the Pennsylvania General Assembly returning to session in about one month, there pressure will likely mount on legislative leaders to consider legislation making changes to the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse in civil or criminal proceedings. This follows the recent release of a statewide grand jury report from Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro alleging that records from nearly every Pennsylvania diocese show more than 300 priests abused nearly 1,000 child victims spanning several decades. A clergy abuse hotline has been established for individuals to report abuse at 1-888-538-8541.
Two bills addressing the statute of limitations are currently before the legislature, including one sponsored by Rep. Mark Rozzi (a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest) and one by Sen. Joe Scarnati. Sen. Scarnati’s SB 261 has already passed the Senate unanimously and is currently awaiting action on the House floor.
While it remains to be seen whether additional reforms happen in Pennsylvania this fall, at the federal level, Sen. Bob Casey has introduced legislation aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect. The Speak Up Act (S. 982) would amend the Child Abuse Prevention & Treatment Act (CAPTA) by setting a federal floor for mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect; clarifying states’ jurisdictional responsibilities and ensure that reports of abuse are made to the proper authorities; providing training on what constitutes child abuse and neglect; promoting new approaches to improve reporting and more. While several aspects of the Speak Up Act replicates what has already been done in Pennsylvania via amendments to the state Child Protective Services Law during the 2011 and 2013 legislative sessions, PPC supports Sen. Casey’s efforts to further protect children from abuse and neglect across the nation.
Stay tuned for additional updates from PPC on this issue as the legislature returns to Harrisburg in September.
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