• Controversial Bill to "Aid" Abuse Victims to be Heard this Week
• May Budget Revise -- Why Should I Care?
• Defending Marriage -- Two New Resources from USCCB
• On the Web

An Action Alert to urge lawmakers to stop abortion expansion in California was issued yesterday. If you have not already done so, please take action immediately. Visit our Take Action page for this and other important Alerts.

Controversial Bill to "Aid" Abuse Victims to be Heard this Week

A bill purported to aid abuse victims but which leaves most without recourse is being heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee next week. SB 131 by Senator Jim Beall, (D-San Jose) has already been delayed once as lawmakers grapple with the controversy. The California Council of Non-Profit Organizations (CCNO) points out that SB 131 would:

• Treats victims differently based on whether the alleged perpetrator was an employee/volunteer with a government agency or a private or non-profit organization.
• Revives claims before 2009 but only for victims where the alleged perpetrator was affiliated with a private or non-profit organization such as a private school, a private business, a youth sports organization like Little League or YWCA/YMCA or a religious institution. School districts and local governments remain exempt.
• Harms victims by not reviving any claim for any victim of abuse where the alleged perpetrator was an employee or volunteer of a state agency, public school or local government.
• Effectively eliminate the civil statute of limitations against school districts and local governments for any acts of alleged abuse committed after 2009, thus exposing these public agencies to potentially unlimited liability in perpetuity and great difficulty in defending old claims.

In addition, if even ten of California's 3,200 private schools (including 700 Catholic schools) are forced to close because of lawsuits or the inability to obtain insurance, taxpayers will face new public school enrollment costs of nearly $60 million over five years, and $6 million for every additional school that closes.

The bill also leaves the criminal statute of limitations untouched and says nothing about criminal penalties. In addition to the CCNO and the California Catholic Conference, organizations such as the YWCA/YMCA, the Police Athletic League and many others oppose the bill. An Action Alert opposing SB 131 is available here or you can read more here.  For additional information, contact Steve Pehanich, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .