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State Rep. Rozzi to host spotlight on Statutes of Limitation Reform panel

HARRISBURG, Pa.– After the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese scandal that was uncovered by Attorney General Kathleen Kane this year, a discussion began o...
Credit: FOX43
Pennsylvania State Capitol (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

HARRISBURG, Pa.– After the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese scandal that was uncovered by Attorney General Kathleen Kane this year, a discussion began on extending the Statutes of Limitations for victims of abuse.

Today, State Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Pa.) will host a special panel discussion this week on statutes of limitation reform efforts in Pennsylvania that starts with a reception at noon  in Senate Hearing Room 8A in the East Wing of the Capitol. The panel discussion will begin at 12:30 p.m.

The discussion will have a number of different speakers, such as Marci Hamilton, who is a constitutional law expert, author and advocate, and George Foster, who is an Altoona businessman credited with exposing the decades-long cover-up that occurred at the Diocese. Others speaking will be:

  • Phil Saviano – a Boston survivor of Catholic clergy abuse depicted in the Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight”, long-time activist and member of the victims’ rights group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP);
  • Patricia Dailey Lewis – executive director of the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children; and
  • Abuse survivors from the Solebury School.

Rozzi, who has long been an advocate for statutes of limitation reform in the House, said that he hopes the discussion will spur action on the recently-passed H.B. 1947, which would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for child sex abuse, extend the civil statute of limitations until the victim reaches age 50 and allow adult victims of child sex abuse a permanent extension to file civil claims up to age 50.

FOX43’s Kara Duffy is at the Capitol in Harrisburg to preview the panel.

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