Latz, Simon Back ‘Minnesota Child Victims Act’

Local legislators are among the lawmakers pushing to 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.

Sen. Ron Latz (District 46) and Rep. Steve Simon (District 46B) appeared at a news conference Wednesday to build support for the “Minnesota Child Victims Act.” Latz, who’s chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the proposal recognizes a healing process that can sometimes take decades for victims to confront abuse.

“The Minnesota Child Victims Act is pretty simple and straightforward,” he said. "It gives an opportunity for victims of child abuse, when they finally gather the knowledge and the fortitude to confront the issue head on, to hold those institutions accountable that allowed the abuse to happen.”

The bill would not affect the statute of limitation in criminal cases.