"We will get the "window to justice" passed, as was intended by all of the grand jury recommendations over the past 14 years." Read more
State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, today invited constituents to join him at a town hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 701 Penn St. in Reading to discuss the pros and cons of decriminalizing marijuana. Read more
As family and friends decorate their homes and gather to celebrate the holidays, Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay and Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller offer some tips to ensure everyone stays safe this holiday season. Read more
The myCOMPASS PA online app is now available for download on the Apple and Google Play app stores for use on iPhones and Android smartphones. Among other features, myCOMPASS PA will allow individuals to take photos of necessary documents and upload them directly to their case files through a secure, safe environment. Other key features include: Users will be able to view benefits details after logging in to their myCOMPASS account; Individuals can view their processing status of their applications; and Update case-related information such as address, phone number, email address, and voter registration. In the two weeks after it launched in the Apple store, 4,669 users downloaded the app with 13,680 clients viewing the status of their benefits, 1,568 documents were uploaded, and the app received a 5-star rating. myCOMPASS PA is estimated to save an average of $3.2 million per year by reducing mail processing time, manual information entry, call center calls, postage and printing. Read more
TEMPLE, Dec. 8 – The Central Pennsylvania Chapters of the Gold Star Mothers of America and the Blue Star Mothers of America will partner with the national Wreaths Across America organization for the annual wreath-laying ceremony at noon Saturday at the Capitol in Harrisburg, said state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, who will participate in the ceremony. Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony. Its mission, “Remember, Honor, Teach,” is carried out in part by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies each December in all 50 state capitols. The keynote speaker will be Col. David E. Wood, chief of staff of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division. John Brenner, chairman of the Pennsylvania State Veterans Commission, also will speak. State Rep. Stephen Barrar, Republican chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness, will preside over the ceremony. Individual wreaths, signifying every branch of the armed services, will be formally presented by respective representatives of the military in addition to the remembrance wreath. The ceremonial wreaths are provided by the Worcester Wreath Co. as a donation to the Wreaths Across America campaign. Staff Sgt. Ian Bowling of the U.S. Army Soldiers' Chorus and the Central Dauphin High School choir, under the direction of John Madas, will perform at the ceremony. Read more
TEMPLE, Dec. 6 – The Commonwealth Financing Authority approved today a $750,000 grant for Muhlenberg Township to bolster safety along Fifth Street Highway, state Rep. Mark Rozzi announced. Proposed improvements include the construction of a median with landscaped islands, a safe zone for bicyclists and new, safe parking areas in designated zones and sidewalks along a 4-mile stretch of the corridor. Crosswalks will be improved at signaled intersections, a new bus stop will be constructed in a safe zone adjacent to the corridor, and LED street lights also will be installed to improve safety for pedestrians after dark. “Congratulations to Muhlenberg Township for securing this grant,” Rozzi said. “The grant will help save taxpayers money as the township works to shore up a high-value project for the region. I’d also like to thank CFA for recognizing a wise investment in our community. “I, like many area residents, look forward to these much-needed improvements along Fifth Street Highway.” The total project cost is $2.48 million. There have been five fatal accidents in five years along Fifth Street Highway, which is a major retail and mixed-use corridor in Muhlenberg Township. The grant comes from the Multimodal Transportation Fund Program, which was established by Act 89 transportation funding set up in 2013. Rozzi voted for legislation that created the fund. Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 16 – State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, and state Rep. Tom Murt, R-Montgomery/Phila., announced today that they will host a private advance screening of the film “Spotlight” on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the Midtown Cinema, 250 Reilly St. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and Turning Point are the event sponsors. A complimentary reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., prior to the movie. Remarks will be offered by the sponsors and hosts in support of legislation that would modify the Pennsylvania statute of limitations to allow victims to seek civil action against abusers and the institutions that shield them. “Spotlight” is the true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child sexual abuse and cover-up within the local Boston Archdiocese. More information about the event is available by contacting Rozzi’s Harrisburg office at (717) 783-3290. To reserve tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/private-advance-screening-of-spotlight-tickets-19499631924. Seating is limited. Read more
The Academy Award-winning movie "Spotlight" showcases what is now recognized as the global tragedy of childhood sexual abuse. The opening scene captures the central conflict as it played out in the Archdiocese of Boston. The film begins with a late-night scene at a neighborhood police station. A local priest has been brought in for questioning as a distressed single mother and a livid uncle are in the back room complaining that a priest has molested the family's children. They are there to press criminal charges. But, with help from the assistant district attorney, the bishop is summoned to the station to quietly assure the family that the priest will be taken out of the parish and they're told, "This will never happen again." A rookie cop asks a veteran cop what the press will do when the charges are read at the arraignment. He's told, "What arraignment?" The older cop has seen this before. He knows the priest will walk. The bishop and priest then quietly slip out of the station, into the back seat of a black sedan, and into the dark night. Read more
Rep. Mark Rozzi doesn't like hearing that it's too close to the election for legislators to support the strongest possible version of House Bill 1947, the child sexual abuse statute of limitations bill. "That's somewhat disconcerting to me," he said. "Any representative or senator who would make a comment like that should be voted out." Anyway, Rozzi isn't convinced voting in favor would be all that risky. "The majority of people in Pennsylvania know what's going on," he said. "They want this to happen." Read more
The stage is set for an epic showdown in the state Capitol, pitting some of the most powerful forces in Pennsylvania against each other over the incredibly delicate, sensitive – and controversial – issue of child sexual abuse. The state House is once again expected to take up House Bill 1947, which would make some long-needed changes in the way child abuse cases are handled in the Commonwealth. It would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal charges in such cases, and also extend the window a victim has to bring civil actions against their abusers. Currently under the law, a victim has until 12 years after turns 18 to bring suit. That would be extended another 20 years, until they reach age 50, under the bill. Spurred by another grand jury report showing a sordid pattern of abuse and cover-up in the Johnstown-Altoona archdiocese just a few years after two grand jury reports spelled out similar problems in the Philadelphia archdiocese, state House members overwhelmingly passed House Bill 1947 last spring by a 180-15 vote. The measure included a controversial amendment include by Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, himself a survivor of child sexual abuse by a priest, which would make the language in the bill retroactive, meaning victims from decades ago would have an opportunity today to seek civil redress against their abusers and the organizations who allegedly enabled them. The amendment was bitterly opposed by several groups, including the insurance industry, the Nati Read more
HARRISBURG - With only days remaining in the legislative session, the House intends to rewrite and send back to the Senate a contested child sex-abuse bill that would give victims the right to sue for decades-old abuses, leaders said Tuesday. The plan by Republican House leaders repudiates the work of GOP Senate counterparts, who gutted a House bill with a retroactive-lawsuit provision opposed by the Catholic Church and insurance lobbyists. The House intends to restore that language to the bill, potentially exposing private institutions to enormous financial liability by allowing lawsuits for abuse that happened years ago. Rep. Mark Rozzi (D., Berks) announced the decision at an hour-long Capitol news conference attended by, among others, Republican attorney general candidate Sen. John Rafferty Jr. (R., Montgomery); Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D., Berks); Rep. Frank Burns (D., Cambria); the state victims' advocate, and leaders of child-abuse victims' groups. Read more
State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he testified before a grand jury in August and claimed people would be "shocked" by the results of the probe into the Diocese of Allentown. Rozzi was sexually abused by a priest in the Diocese of Allentown as a child and is in the midst of a legislative battle to push a bill that would extend the statute of limitations for sex abuse victims. Several Catholic organizations, including the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, have fought against that legislation, saying it treats public and private institutions with different standards. Read more
HARRISBURG - State House leaders plan to take steps next month to revive a proposal that would enable some people sexually abused as children to sue even if their window to do so has already closed. House officials said Tuesday the plan is to add a retroactive provision back into a bill that would overhaul time limits for victims to take legal action. “That's where the members are and we'll see how it goes,” said Stephen A. Miskin, a spokesman for the House's Republican leadership. Read more
HARRISBURG — A push to allow victims of clergy sex abuse the right to sue for damages in old cases is barreling toward a vote, with support from key state officials. The House last spring opened a window allowing victims of old sex crimes to sue for damages. The window was snapped closed by the Senate, which voted only to extend the statute of limitations on those cases moving forward. Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks County, who has pushed to allow victims to seek justice against their molesters and church leaders who've covered up the crimes, said he believes House lawmakers will revive the retroactivity clause, giving the Senate another chance to pass it this fall. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Mark Rozzi joined advocates, survivors and legislators to call on House leadership to run H.B. 1947 with the retroactive component, giving victims of sexual abuse a chance to have their day in court. Read more
HARRISBURG, Sept. 27 – State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, today stood with advocates, survivors and members of the General Assembly and called on Republican House leadership to run H.B. 1947, a statute of limitations reform bill, with a retroactive component included. “When I ran for this office, I was on a personal mission to shake open the log jam that I faced when looking for justice. I didn’t realize the magnitude of this epidemic until, as a state representative, my office started receiving letters, emails, phone calls and personal visits from victims from every corner of the state and beyond,” Rozzi said. “I hear my story with every story told to me. We, our families and friends, have been gravely wronged by these predators and those institutions that will do anything to protect their reputations and coffers.” At the news conference, Rozzi discussed H.B. 1947, a statute of limitations reform bill that passed the House 180-15, but was significantly weakened by the Senate in June through the removal of a retroactive provision that would have permitted some victims to file civil actions against their abusers that otherwise would have been barred by the statute of limitations. “Attorney General Bruce Beemer has publically attested to the constitutionality of the bill, and stands behind the recommendations of his office from the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown grand jury report six months ago,” Rozzi said. “Any question about constitutionality should be left to the courts.” Read more
Kermit Roosevelt, law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the constitutionality of the retroactive provision removed from H.B. 1947 and his support of state Rep. Mark Rozzi’s effort to reinsert it back into the bill. Read more
Sr. Maureen Paul Turlish discusses her experiences as an advocate for statute of limitations reform in Pennsylvania and other states and the need for a retroactive provision to ensure justice. Read more
In April, the state House passed a bill to extend the statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases, which also would have given past victims of abuse more time to file a civil suit. The Senate sent it back without the retroactive clause. Now, a state lawmaker from Berks County is vowing to get the retroactivity back in the proposal. Six of Pennsylvania's eight Catholic dioceses, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, are now under investigation by the state Attorney General's office for possible clergy sex abuse. The new probes are spurring advocates like Democratic Representative Mark Rozzi of Berks County to push harder for passage of legislation to allow past victims to sue. He says he believes the House will stand united, as it did earlier this year. But if they can't get the measure passed with the retroactive measure included this session, he will introduce the same bill again in January. "I'm not going to sit there, pat myself on the back for half a loaf when we have children in this commonwealth suffering this horrific sexual abuse that goes on," he says. Rozzi says if senators refuse to help past victims, they will have to deal with the consequences from the public. Read more
HARRISBURG, Pa. - A Pennsylvania lawmaker who has told of his victimization as a child by a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Allentown said he'll keep fighting for legislation to allow onetime-child sexual abuse victims to sue for damages. Read more
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania lawmaker who has told of his victimization as a child by a Roman Catholic priest said Tuesday that he will keep fighting for legislation to allow onetime-child sexual abuse victims to sue for damages, despite the measure’s rejection in the Senate as the legislative session winds down. Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, is backed by top House lawmakers, victim advocates and both major party candidates for state attorney general — Republican John Rafferty and Democrat Josh Shapiro — as part of wider legislation to respond to child sexual abuse cover-ups. The provision would revive the ability of people to sue for damages if they are now older than the current legal age limit of 30 to sue. It is opposed by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania, which represents for-profit insurers. Jennifer Storm, the state’s victim advocate, said that the provision is the right thing to do for victims and that she did not want to have to tell age-limited victims, “sorry, today is not your day,” if the Legislature decides against helping them. Read more
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4933 Kutztown RoadTemple, PA 19560
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