Pennsylvania lawmakers are intending to introduce legislation that will make it easier to protect victims of childhood sexual abuse.

According to a PennLive report, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are discussing introducing future legislation to reform the state’s laws regarding child sexual assault cases, including the statute of limitations.

Republican Representative Bryan Cutler is leading the charge to change the laws. Cutler, the newly elected House Majority Leader, is committed to updating the sexual abuse laws already in place in Pennsylvania in ways that ease the road to recovery for the victims and allow them to seek reparations.

The proposed changes to Pennsylvania laws follow recent updates to similar laws in New York. In January 2019, New York passed the Child Victims Act, giving survivors of childhood sexual abuse the ability to seek damages, regardless of their age or time passed.

These changes update the statute of limitations and allow victims to seek damages against individuals, public, and private institutions. Prior to this new law, New York’s sexual abuse claims laws were some of the most restrictive in the nation, and made it difficult for victims to seek justice.

Pennsylvania has attempted to pass similar laws for years, following multiple investigations into sexual abuse allegations lodged against Catholic dioceses and archdioceses in the state. Cutler is hoping that this time, representatives from both parties can work together to come up with a solution.

“It should have been solved years ago,” Cutler told PennLive. “That’s what’s a priority. Finding a solution that can get the votes.”

Under restrictions set in place by previous laws, victims are often barred from suing public or private institutions. In October 2018, the Senate failed to ratify a bill that would have eliminated the statute of limitations pertaining to cases of childhood sexual abuse, but barred victims from suing institutions.

Although the new proposed Pennsylvania laws may have been initiated in response to allegations against Catholic church clergy members, they will also allow victims to seek damages from a variety of other institutions, including public school districts.

In an article by Local 21 News, Commonwealth Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm discussed the effect that such laws may have on victims.

“This is so not a Catholic church issue,” Storm told Local 21 News. “Six percent of all sexual abuse child victims are from the Catholic church. The other 94 percent are from your school systems, your uncle, the coaches, boys and girls clubs. Those agencies that thankfully we have really moved the ball forward of reform measures in terms of mandated reporting and accountability but there are still all of these victims that were previously time barred that deserve justice.”

If you were a victim of childhood sexual abuse by an adult in power, you may qualify to seek compensation for your suffering and experience.

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