ATLANTA— State Representative Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine) will participate in a panel discussion on the Georgia “Hidden Predator Act,” legislation which Rep. Spencer intends to introduce in the 2015 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly. The panel discussion, which will focus on policy reform to aid victims of child sexual abuse, will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 in the auditorium of the Claudia Nance Rollins Building at Emory University.
“Child sexual abuse is a secret crime that murders a child’s soul, and child sexual predators will always live among us, but it is time that we make significant reforms to identify these predators by reforming current law,” said Rep. Spencer. “Research has shown that child sexual abuse victims will not openly identify their perpetrator until they have reached adulthood. In this state, by the time victims are ready to seek justice, they are no longer able to because of Georgia’s short civil statute of limitations, which continues to allow predators get away with their crime.”
Rep. Spencer plans to introduce legislation aimed at reforming the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims. Deemed, the “Hidden Predator Act,” Rep. Spencer’s proposed legislation would provide a 30 year extension to the civil statute of limitation for child sexual abuse claims. Anticipated legislation would also allow for a retroactive “window” that would provide a two-year time frame for sexual abuse victims, whose civil claims were blocked by the statute of limitations in the past, to file a case against their perpetrator. Additionally, impending legislation would amend current Georgia law to allow victims, or their legal guardians, to access police and other investigation records.
Under current Georgia law, a child sex abuse victim may only bring action against his or her abuser up to five years after the victim turns 18 years old. Current law also bars the victim or their guardian from accessing police and other investigation records in which the victim is the subject of a reported child sexual abuse investigation.
“This bill will provide a meaningful and necessary 30 year extension to the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims, and would essentially give victims up to age 53 to file a claim in civil court,” continued Rep. Spencer. “This action will allow the halls of justice to open for current victims and allow them the time they need to seek the justice that they deserve. The current law continues to favor the perpetrator and not the victim of child sexual abuse, but with the proposed reform, child sexual predators will have a difficult time hiding in Georgia. As a result, the priority will be to extend real justice to victims instead of enabling monsters to continue to prey on society’s most vulnerable individuals.”
For more information on the “Hidden Predator Act,” please click here, and for more information on the upcoming panel discussion, please click here.
Representative Jason Spencer represents the citizens of District 180, which includes Camden, Charlton, and Ware counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves as the Secretary of the Special Rules Committee. He also serves on the Game Fish & Parks, Human Relations & Aging, and Juvenile Justice committees.
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