On our editorial page today, we focus on what might be the most important question to be decided in the heated debate concerning House Bill 1947.
That is the legislation that would make huge changes in the way Pennsylvania law deals with cases of child sexual abuse.
The version passed a few months ago by both the House and Senate would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal charges to be filed, and also extend the window for victims to file civil actions against their accusers from age 30 to age 50.
But the House version contained a controversial amendment by Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, that would make the language in the bill retroactive, meaning victims from as far back as the 1970 could still come forward now and file suit against their abusers and any institutions that might have enabled them.
That language was stripped before the bill was passed by the Senate.
Now the Senate bill - without the retroactive language - is coming back up for debate in the House.
The question now is whether Rozzi and others will insist on including the retroactive language, which is bitterly opposed by the insurance industry and the Catholic church. If it's included, it could scuttle any chance of the bill becoming law.
You can read our editorial here.
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