Key PA Senator: Won't Be Rushed On Child Sex Abuse Bill

by Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG (CBS) -- The chairman of a key state Senate committee says he's aiming for a vote next month on a House bill that would give child sex abuse victims more time to seek justice, but also insists he won't be rushed.

The state House last month sent the Senate a bill that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations in future cases, and would give victims of child sex abuse more time to bring civil cases.

Republican Jake Corman, the Senate majority leader, says he favors Senate action on the House-passed bill, but defers to the chairman of the committee where the bill now sits.

"We'd like to get it done. You know, look -- I don't get in front of my chairmen, that's the worst thing I can do," said Corman.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is suburban Philadelphia Republican Stewart Greenleaf, who says his panel could vote on the legislation next month, but not without a thorough review.

"This is not going to be a 'panic' thing. I mean, we're doing this in a very deliberate way," he said.

Greenleaf says he wants to see how other states have addressed the issue.