Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Photo: Shutterstock

Leaders of the state House of Representatives said the chamber in April will focus its efforts on better protections for victims of crime and abuse, working to advance a series of bills.

Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, and Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, said they would declare April “Victim Protection Month” in the House.

Two measures form a package known as the Pennsylvania Hidden Predator Act, a response to revelations of child sexual abuse, including those in a grand jury report on misconduct in Pennsylvania's Catholic dioceses:

  • House Bill 962, sponsored by Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, would amend the Crimes Code to provide a prospective extension of the statute of limitations for commencing a civil action arising from childhood sexual abuse, eliminating the statute of limitations for criminal offenses of childhood sexual abuse, and waiving the defense of sovereign immunity in childhood sexual abuse claims for damages caused by actions or omissions constituting negligence.
  • House Bill 963, sponsored by Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Blair, would amend the remedies clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution in order to provide a two-year window for anyone for whom a statutory limitations period has expired to commence action arising from childhood sexual abuse.

Several other bills on the docket focused on sexual abuse, including, among other measures:

  • House Bill 755, sponsored by state Rep. Marcy Toepel, R-Montgomery, with bipartisan support, would charge the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to develop model policies for the prevention of workplace sexual harassment and provide templates for training programs, in an effort to expand resources for employers and employees confronting abuses on jobsites.
  • House Bill 975, sponsored by state Rep. Donna Oberlander, R-Clarion, would prevent public officials from using state government funds to protect themselves by compensating victims of sexual assault.

Another series of bills were several focused on protecting children, including the following:

  • House Bill 279, sponsored by state Rep. Karen Boback, R-Luzerne, which would provide civil immunity for those whose rescue children who are trapped in a car.
  • House Bill 288, sponsored by state Rep. Justin Simmons, R-Lehigh, and known as “Caylee's Law,” which would upgrade the crime of concealing the death of a child from a misdemeanor to a felony.
  • House Bill 315, sponsored by state Rep. Tom Murt, R-Montgomery, which would make female genital mutilation a crime.

The total number of bills that the leaders said in their statement would see action this month was 15.

“Just as those accused of a crime have certain rights, we need to ensure our most vulnerable crime victims have equal status throughout the entire criminal justice process,” Turzai said. “The House Republican Caucus has proactively advanced legislation to enhance public safety and provide support to victims of crime. We will continue to carefully review our current laws, programs and services to ensure we have proactive laws and policies that support crime victims and their families while keeping all [of] our communities safe.”