It appears the Pennsylvania Senate is poised to do what it does best.
Not much.
The Senate has one day - today - left to take up a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations to bring criminal charges in cases of child sexual abuse, as well as expanding the window for victims to bring civil actions.
Actually, it appears as if those measures could pass, just as they did in the House.
That's not the problem. The issue that has tied up the bill in the Senate is an amendment added that would open a two-year window for past victims in abuse cases - sometimes from decades ago - to bring actions against their abusers, including the Catholic church.
The amendment was added to the legislation by Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, himself a victims of abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest years ago.
The two-year window was one of the recommendations of the grand jury that laid out- in vivid, horrific detail - the sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by at least 300 predator priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses.
The Senate continues to debate the issue, but no vote has been taken.
I'm not surprised.
The two-year window is bitterly opposed by the Catholic church, as well as the insurance industry.
Senate Republican leaders continue to push a plan that would see the church set up a victims compensation fund that would be operated by a third party. The plan has been mocked by Rozzi and victims' groups.
You can read the details of where this legislation stands now here.
But there is a new voice being raised.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports today that Main Line insurance titan James J. Maguire Sr., a very big Catholic benefactor in the Philadelphia region has sent text messages to Republican Senate leaders, including Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, asking them if they stand with the victims or their abusers.
Good for him.
We'll let you know what happens today.
Keep in mind that if no vote is taken today, not only the two-year window literally goes out the window, but also the two key changes for future cases.
It will be interesting to see if the bill - in its current form - even makes it to the floor for a vote by the full Senate.
We'll let you know what happens.
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