PA House To Stand Its Ground On Child Sex Abuse Legislation

HARRISBURG (CBS) -- It appears a standoff may be taking shape between the state House and Senate over legislation to give adult victims of child sex abuse more time to seek justice.

The bill would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases. In civil cases, the measure would also eliminate the statute of limitations for most individual defendants, and lengthen the time a victim would have to sue an organization. As it stands now, those provisions would only apply going forward.

The House passed a bill that allowed for retroactive lawsuits. But the Senate, citing constitutionality concerns, removed it. Now House leaders have indicated retroactivity will likely be put back into the bill.

Jennifer Kocher is a spokeswoman for leaders of the Republican Senate majority and said many things are being lost.

"All of these good provisions of the bill are being lost in the firestorm of controversy being swept up over one provision."

Time is running out – lawmakers are in Harrisburg for only a handful of days before the two-year legislative session ends and bills have to start over.