Sexual abuse survivors are urging Michigan House lawmakers to vote on bills they say would help other people in their shoes.
The legislation would extend the statute of limitations for survivors of criminal sexual conduct to press charges and sue.
Dr. Airron Richardson survived abuse from deceased University of Michigan athletics Dr. Robert Anderson. Richardson said the bills would be a meaningful step for survivors.
“It means survivors will have more time to process what happened to them and build the courage to come forward. And it means that organizations, which have every reason to know abusers were working within their buildings but did nothing to stop additional assaults, can be held accountable,” Richardson said during a press conference Wednesday.
The bills would also end liability protections for government institutions, like schools, that knowingly failed to prevent sexual misconduct.
Grace French survived abuse by disgraced Michigan State University Dr. Larry Nassar. She said the package would help prevent cases like that from happening again.
“It's incredibly frustrating when institutions don't take responsibility for their actions. And that's what this is going to help remedy, is that we're able to hold institutions accountable for their actions and make sure that policies and procedures are in place,” French said.
The policies were first introduced this legislative session in the Michigan House over a year and a half ago but languished in that chamber without seeing a floor vote, despite making it out of committee.
Hope was renewed in recent weeks when the Michigan Senate passed the current bills in the early hours of Friday morning after an all-night session.
Compromises made to get them to that point include lowering the maximum age someone could come to terms with an assault from one’s early years and still sue under the proposal from 51 to 41. That age in current law is 27.
Despite the compromises, the bills were not scheduled for a vote in the Michigan House Wednesday or Thursday.
On Wednesday, nothing got voted on in the Michigan House because it was short too many members to reach a quorum after all 54 Republicans and at least one Democrat didn’t show up.
Anderson survivor Tad DeLuca said lawmakers who don’t show up to vote on these bills are “accomplices” to abuse, referencing a desire to roll back governmental immunity.
“It's simple. There are institutions that need a big two-by-four across the forehead to get their attention that they have to stop this. So, if you don't pass this law, it's just going to continue because these places have learned, wow, there's really not that big a problem,” he said.
Democrats in the House are reportedly expecting all their members to show Thursday. As of Wednesday evening, the survivor-focused bills were still not on the agenda.
