ATLANTA – The state House unanimously passed HB 605, an update to the state's Hidden Predator Act, on crossover day Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine), is the latest update to the Hidden Predator Act and provides provisions that would hold negligent or grossly negligent individuals or entities who conceal child abuse accountable.
“This measure would bring our state’s laws in line with science and what real world experience has taught us about childhood sexual abuse,” said Spencer. “Oftentimes, the effects of childhood sexual abuse are latent, and these changes seek to acknowledge that the impacts of such abuse can lie dormant long after abuse. HB 605 would provide child sex abuse victims a pathway to justice.”
The House approved the bill on crossover day, when many proposed bills have to be approved by the House or Senate for them to be considered over the final four weeks of the legislative session.
HB 605 would update the current law to extend the statute of limitations from age 23 to age 38; increase the age of discovery for victims who discover psychological and emotional problems as a result of child sexual abuse from two years to four years; and create a one-year period for anyone who was time barred from filing a civil action for injuries resulting from childhood sexual abuse due to the expiration of the statute of limitations to file actions against an entity negligent or grossly negligent in such abuse.
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The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration.
