Politics & Government

VIDEO: Judiciary Committee OKs Minnesota Child Victims Act

District 46 Sen. Ron Latz spoke to the committee about the bill Thursday.

Sen. Ron Latz (District 46) persuaded fellow Senate Judiciary Committee members to support the “Minnesota Child Victims Act” that he co-authored.

The committee voted 5-3 on Thursday to approve a bill that would end the statute of limitations that requires victims of sexual abuse to file a lawsuit within six years of becoming an adult. If the bill becomes law, victims could file a lawsuit at any time, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.

Watch Latz speak to the committee in the video above.

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Latz—whose district includes Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley and Plymouth—told the committee that child sex abuse victims struggle to just tell their closest friends and family about what happened. Seeking legal action is even harder for them do, and some aren’t ready until their 40s or 50s.

“This is, unfortunately, not unusual. But it is also unfortunate that they are ever in this position, of course,” said Latz. “But our system of justice demands that we recognize the uniqueness of this kind of an injury and still, within our system, provide a mechanism for justice to be achieved.”

Find out what's happening in Hopkinswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The bill will now go to the full Senate for a vote. The House Civil Law Committee will review the bill Wednesday. Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 46B) co-authored the bill in the House.


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