HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -- The Pennsylvania State House is functioning and passing bills for the first time in 2023. Speaker Mark Rozzi got his priorities through, what he calls "Rozzi Rules," but there is still a major obstacle.
Rozzi's priority has always been justice and relief for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and on Friday, Feb. 24, his mission has finally been accomplished, but only in one chamber.
The Pennsylvania State House, in bipartisan fashion, passed House Bill 1, a constitutional amendment that will allow survivors to sue their abusers past the statute of limitations. Lawmakers took a double-barreled approach and also passed House Bill 2, a traditional statute that would do the same thing as House Bill 1.
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The problem? The House version doesn't match the Senate version.
Senate Bill 1 passed weeks ago but was bundled with two other amendments.
In order to make it on the November ballot, identical language needs to be passed by both chambers.
Rozzi called on the Pennsylvania Senate to pass the House's version soon.
"People are angry. People are pissed off, and they're going to do everything they can to make this message clear across this Commonwealth. The Senate needs to come in next week and start taking up these bills, and if they don't, the 13,000,000 residents of this Commonwealth are going to let them know about it," Rozzi said.
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Less than an hour after Rozzi's comments, the Senate Republican leader said they passed their version weeks ago, and had Rozzi not locked down the House chamber and passed the Senate's version, it could have made it on the May ballot.
Once again, survivors of childhood sexual abuse are caught in the middle of a bureaucratic battle.
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