It’s time, PA!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Salveson, President, FACSA 215-870-0680 salveson@abolishsexabuse.org
Tammy Lerner, Vice President, FACSA 610-509-9568 lerner@abolishsexabuse.org
FACSA calls on Legislature to support statutes of limitations reform for child sex crimes

Urges Support for Senate Bill 1103, House Bill 238

Bryn Mawr, PA, September 24, 2013

FACSA (Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse) applauded Senator Teplitz, for introducing Senate Bill 1103, would open a two year window for victims to file civil charges in cases where the civil statutes of limitation have already expired. Teplitz will discuss the bill at a press conference on Wednesday, September 25th at 10 AM in the East Rotunda at the State Capitol in Harrisburg.

SB 1103 is a companion bill to House Bill 238 introduced by Representative Mike McGeehan and Representative Mark Rozzi. Rep. Rozzi is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
These bills would:
  • Establish a 2 year window during which the civil statute of limitations would be suspended.
  •  Remove “sovereign immunity” in cases of child sexual abuse
  • Allow past victims of childhood sexual abuse to access the justice system.
  • Expose guilty perpetrators.
“After three grand jury investigations – two investigations of the Philadelphia Archdiocese and one investigation of the Jerry Sandusky scandal – and their outcomes recommending statutes of limitation reform and the creation of a civil window, adult survivors are still suffering and children are still at risk. PA politicians must do better than this.” said FACSA president, John Salveson.
Earlier this month, the California legislature, for the second time in 10 years, passed a similar bill, lifting the Statute of Limitations in sexual abuse cases. The 2003 one-year “window” bill, helped identify of over 300 predators. Similar laws have recently been enacted in Delaware, Hawaii and Minnesota.
FACSA | The Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse is a non-profit organization working to:
  • Help enact laws that protect children from sex abuse;
  • Bring perpetrators of child sex abuse to justice;
  • Hold accountable societal structures that hide perpetrators and fail to protect children from continued harm.