Georgia bill aiming to help child sex abuse victims fails

As Georgia’s legislative session ended, lawmakers closed the door on a bill that would have expanded the rights of survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue their alleged abusers.

The Hidden Predator Act of 2018 would have expanded on a law passed in 2015. Different versions of the legislation had passed the House and Senate, but the two chambers of the Georgia General Assembly failed to agree on a compromise before this year’s legislative session ended shortly after midnight Friday morning.

State law says victims must file lawsuits seeking damages before they turn 23. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Jason Spencer, sought to extend that by 15 years to age 38. He also wanted to open a one-year window during which victims older than that could sue their alleged abusers. And he wanted to allow lawsuits against organizations accused of knowing about or covering up abuse.

Spencer said the Senate gutted the bill. It extended the age for filing lawsuits to 30, rather than 38. It also eliminated the one year window for older victims and toughened the requirements for suing organizations.

Read more: http://evans.allongeorgia.com/georgia-state-politics/georgia-bill-aiming-to-help-child-sex-abuse-victims-fails/