Among the bills that failed to escape the Judiciary Committee before its deadline last Friday was a measure that would have prospectively eliminated the statute of limitations for civil suits regarding sexual abuse.
Currently, a childhood victim of sexual assault has until 30 years after the time he or she becomes 18 to file civil action against their abuser. The measure would have eliminated that time requirement for crimes committed after it was adopted into law.
The bill faced opposition from the Connecticut Conference of Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference but on Monday, the bill’s author, Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, said the measure’s failure to come to a vote had more to do with the Judiciary Committee’s heavy last-minute work load.
The committee had upwards of 50 bills to address before Friday’s deadline and Bye said the committee may have been trying to avoid raising measures likely to generate lengthy discussions. It was unlikely that the bill would reach a vote without some major discussions, she said.
The measure may have also faced subtle opposition given the number of lawyers, who typically prefer the existence of statutes of limitations, on the committee, Bye said.
She said she would be keeping her eye open for a potential vehicle to add a similar amendment to on the floor but expects to raise the measure again next session.