Committee hears emotional testimony on bill extending civil filing window for childhood sexual‑abuse claims

S.B. 676, presented by Sen. Dave Wallace, would extend the civil statute‑of‑limitations for certain childhood sexual‑abuse claims and open a temporary window for previously time‑barred cases.

Wallace urged the change as a public‑safety and moral matter: many survivors disclose abuse only decades later. William Eric Stevens, a combat veteran and identified survivor, described being abused as a child and the difficulty of bringing claims many years later when statutes had already run. "I come to you today as a 52 year old man to speak up for a 10 year old version of myself," Stevens said. Proponents cited experience from other states that opened look‑back windows and reported modest numbers of suits relative to population.

Committee members probed the bill's scope and the definition of "sexual‑abuse" used to trigger the extended window; several senators expressed concern that a broad definition could allow long‑stale claims for relatively minor offenses (for example, indecent exposure) and asked for clarification about which criminal code subsections map into the civil definition. Sponsors and counsel said the bill tracks existing criminal‑code definitions for offenses against children and that the bill is crafted to mirror those code sections, but members requested additional data on filings and outcomes in other states and clarity about defendant protections and anonymity provisions for plaintiffs during preliminary phases.

After questioning, the sponsor asked to pull the bill for further refinement and data collection; the committee granted the pull without objection.

What’s next: The sponsor will consult stakeholders and return with narrower drafting clarifications, data on outcomes from other states, and suggestions for defendant safeguards and anonymization procedures.