Survivors of childhood sex abuse advocate for statute of limitations reform
Testifiers support two-year retroactive window to file civil claims against abusers
Rep. Nate Davidson April 23, 2026 | 2:44 PM
HARRISBURG, April 23 – Following multiple Grand Jury reports over the past decade documenting widespread child sexual abuse across the state, the Pennsylvania General Assembly has repeatedly attempted to create a two-year retroactive window for survivors to file civil claims against their abusers. But due to partisan gridlock and administrative failures, survivors still don’t have an avenue to seek justice. Survivors, alongside advocates and legal experts, returned to Harrisburg Thursday to testify at a House Majority Policy Committee hearing hosted by Rep. Nate Davidson (D-Dauphin, Cumberland), in support of statute of limitations reform legislation.
A recording of the hearing is available here.
Several Grand Jury reports in Pennsylvania from 2005 through 2018 exposed the scope and systemic nature of childhood sexual abuse, especially within trusted institutions. In response, the legislature enacted three of the four recommendations put forth by the latest Grand Jury report in 2018. While the creation of a two-year retroactive civil window was one of the recommendations, it’s the only one not to be implemented.
“It is past due that we provide access to justice for survivors. There have been many opportunities throughout the past 14 years to do so, but for several reasons, survivors have not yet been able to have their day in court,” said Davidson. “We have a responsibility to hold abusers accountable, regardless of how much time has passed. We owe it to survivors to put politics aside and ensure their voices are finally heard.”
Pennsylvania did eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, but survivors of past abuse still don’t have access to justice. To fix that, Davidson has introduced legislation that would extend the civil statute of limitations in Pennsylvania for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to seek compensation from their abusers by creating a two-year retroactive window for civil claims.
“Survivors deserve to have every tool to seek justice available to them. Statute of limitations reform, particularly the creation of a retroactive civil window, is essential to ensuring survivors of sexual violence have meaningful access to justice. This tool belongs in their toolbox,” said Gabriella Romeo, Public Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect.
More than 30 states, including Pennsylvania’s neighbors, have passed retroactive window legislation for expired civil child sexual abuse claims. Legal experts said civil legal remedies are vital for sexual assault survivors because unlike the criminal system where the state controls the case, civil litigation allows the survivor to lead the process. The bottom line, survivors and advocates testified, is Pennsylvania needs to finally move forward with reform that ensures survivors have a real opportunity to be heard.
“Every day we fail to act is another day survivors are denied justice. The need for a retroactive window is clear, and continued partisan delays are indefensible. By passing this legislation, we can begin to deliver a measure of justice that has been out of reach for far too long,” said House Majority Policy Chairman Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie). “Justice delayed is justice denied. This is a practical and necessary step to correct past barriers that prevented survivors from pursuing civil claims.”
After administrative failures kept a constitutional amendment off the ballot in 2021, restarting the lengthy process, House Democrats passed multiple bipartisan measures in 2023 to provide childhood sexual abuse survivors civil recourse; however, Senate GOP leaders tied childhood sexual abuse measures to unrelated voter ID legislation and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman announced the Senate “fulfilled and completed our commitment” to survivors.
Thursday’s hearing features testimony from Kathryn Robb, National Director of the Children’s Justice Campaign and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse; Lara St. John, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse; Gabriella Romero, Public Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR); Andrea Levy, Legal Director for the PCAR Sexual Violence Assistance Project; Jennie Noll, Ph.D., a Professor of Psychology and Executive Director of the Mount Hope Family Center at the University of Rochester; and Marci A. Hamilton, Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Testimony submitted for Thursday’s hearing can be found here.