HARRISBURG, Pa. — Political theater can have real consequences.
That’s what Gov. Tom Wolf called out legislators for on Tuesday morning, after the state House of Representatives held no vote on a planned special session intended to help provide more time for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to seek justice.
- Gov. Tom Wolf has told legislators to 'stop the games' and put aside partisan bickering to address the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse
- Wolf hopes to have the measure on ballots for voter approval by May
- Local legislators argue that they were ready to support the move, but partisan bickering has stalled the process
“Yesterday, political games and partisanship in the state House — and an attempt to end mail-in voting as we know it in the Senate — took precedence over justice for survivors," Wolf said in a statement released Tuesday.
"It’s time to stop the games, put everything else aside, and work together to get the statute of limitations amendment on the ballot this May.”
“This special session is meant to provide a mechanism to help prevent this bipartisan issue from becoming entangled with partisan topics," Wolf said. "Last fall, we promised action to get this done. I’m asking Republican and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly to complete this vital work. Answer the call you signed up for as elected officials and public servants. Pennsylvania is waiting.”
The governor had called for legislators to complete the second passage of House Bill 14, which initially was passed last year. With a second passage the bill — which would provide survivors of childhood sexual abuse with a two-year window to file civil cases against their alleged abusers — could then be placed on ballots in the May elections for voter approval.
Wolf has asked legislators to pass the bill no later than Jan. 27.
But when the bill was set to be discussed Monday, partisan bickering over house rules led to hours-long delays that eventually ended in an indefinite recess that has canceled sessions for the rest of the week.
As the governor noted, the state senate didn’t address extending the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse either, instead advancing bills on voter I.D. and other issues.
“We are delaying justice for human beings and that is just unconscionable.”Democratic State Representative Peter Schweyer
While the state House sputtered on the issue, the state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would propose a constitutional amendment to voters to expand the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file a civil lawsuit.
The measure, which passed by a 28-20 vote, was included in a bill that also proposed constitutional amendments that would create a requirement for the state's voters to present identification at polling places before they receive a ballot.
A third constitutional amendment proposal in the bill would allow for a legislative review of regulations.
In the state House, local democratic members of the state house said the wasted day could have been prevented.
'Differences were not irreconcilable'
The offices of local Republican state representatives — including Ann Flood of Moore Township and Zach Mako, who serves Lehigh Township — did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking comment.
But Democratic state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, who represents South Whitehall Township, said, "Democrats propose rules. Republicans propose rules. At their core, their differences were not irreconcilable.”
Schlossberg said that, fundamentally, the two parties couldn’t come to terms on the rules for the special session. Those rules dictate the committee process, the amendment process and how bills are voted on, Schlossberg said.
He argued that Democrats tried to keep the scope of the day’s discussion squarely on the topic of extending the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse.
But he said there was concern that Republicans wanted to enact rules that would let the party introduce other legislation.
“We wanted very small and narrow committees that would have facilitated the passage of this legislation. Republicans had a broader perspective,” Schlossberg said.
“Quite candidly, I think we were very concerned that they would try to use this special session to push some of their constitutional amendments, like voter I.D. or making it easier for the legislature to repeal environmental protections or making it easier for nonsense election audits to continue the big lie of 2020.
"We are focused on trying to pass laws that would give victims the opportunity to be compensated for the trauma they endured from the institutions that covered up that trauma.”
'We're delaying justice'
Democratic state Rep. Peter Schweyer said he wasn’t privy to discussions between party leadership, but he agreed with the governor that there needs to be action on the effort to extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse because people who have been harmed are waiting for justice.
“The continued desperate grabs at power from the Republican side is, on a very human level, it’s kind of pathetic,” Schweyer said. “But from a practical level, as it impacts the lives of real live people here in the Lehigh Valley, it’s really damaging. We deserve to have real meaningful dialogue on legislation.”
Noting that the bill had been passed in the last session, Schweyer said that, if not for "a paperwork snafu,” the effort would already have appeared on ballots for voter approval.
Partisan bickering, he said, just delays the process further.
“We are delaying justice for human beings and that is just unconscionable,” he said.
