Pa. Lawmakers Urge Quick Action On New Child Abuse Protection Laws
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Some Pennsylvania lawmakers are urging swift action on legislation to protect children from sexual abuse, but Governor Corbett is urging caution.
As a group of state lawmakers held a news conference today to push for action on legislation related to child sexual abuse, state Rep. Louise Bishop (D-Phila.) revealed her own story of abuse suffered at the hands of her stepfather when she was a child.
"But because he had been such a friend, I didn't know how to react," she recalled. "I was afraid. There was fear."
Bishop and other lawmakers called for action on bills that would increase the requirements for reporting suspected child sexual abuse, would eliminate the statute of limitations in abuse cases, and would create a two-year window for civil suits previously barred by the statute of limitations.
Governor Tom Corbett, meanwhile, urges legislators to slow down, "not react in haste to what happened... what was reported last week."
The governor says he and lawmakers now have a good reason to review these issues but need to take their time to do it right.
Reported by KYW Harrisburg bureau chief Tony Romeo
