Pennsylvania House advances bills to let child sexual abuse victims sue despite time limits

Proposals that would let survivors of childhood sexual abuse file lawsuits in Pennsylvania beyond the state’s current statute of limitations passed the state House on Monday, the latest development in a yearslong lobbying campaign.

One of the two bills is a common piece of legislation that now heads to the GOP-controlled Senate for consideration. It passed the House 122-80, with Democrats voting unanimously for it while a majority of Republicans were opposed.

The other piece of legislation moves the state closer to putting a constitutional amendment about the issue before voters, which would require three more legislative votes before the statewide referendum. That bill passed the House 138-64, again with unified Democrats.

“This is about a group of survivors who have been denied access to our court system,” Democratic Rep. Nate Davidson said during debate. “And we have the opportunity to finally get it right.”

Davidson is a primary sponsor of the legislation.

The same pair of proposals received House approval more than two years ago, but died without action in the state Senate.

Support for allowing abuse victims more time to sue gained momentum after a landmark grand jury report in 2018 about child abuse over many decades by Roman Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania.