Ohio lawmakers have revived bipartisan legislation that would level the playing field for Ohioans who were sexually abused by Boy Scout leaders and want to seek financial relief from the organization.
House Bill 35, introduced last week by Reps. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, and Jessica Miranda, D-Forest Park, stems from rules laid out in the Boy Scouts of America's bankruptcy settlement. It would scrap Ohio's civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse in bankruptcy cases, allowing survivors to recoup the full amount owed to them.
The House passed the bill late last year, but it failed to clear the Senate during the Legislature's lame-duck session. That means Seitz and Miranda are starting from scratch.
Boy Scout bankruptcy:Former Boy Scouts push for new Ohio law as they seek relief for child sex abuse
Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy in 2020 as it faced hundreds of lawsuits across the country from former scouts who said they were molested and raped by leaders and volunteers. Nearly 2,000 abuse claims have been filed in Ohio alone.
The settlement, approved in September, allows survivors to apply for a $3,500 expedited payout. Alternatively, survivors can pursue an independent review or see where they fall on a matrix that doles out money based on the severity and frequency of abuse. For those two options, the state's statute of limitations is a key factor.
In Ohio, survivors of child sex abuse have until age 30 to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator or affiliated institution. Per the settlement rules, Ohio's current law would limit survivors to 30% to 45% of what they're eligible for under the matrix. They would not qualify for an independent review.
What happens next with Boy Scout bill
The new version of the bill includes two new requirements: The law would sunset after five years, and it would apply only to organizations with a congressional charter, a type of federal recognition the Boy Scouts earned in 1916.
“It narrows the scope of the bill, and it doesn’t set a precedent in permanent law," Seitz said. "It mimics instead those states that have reopened their statutes of limitation for a period of time."
Ohio lawmakers currently have until September to enact changes, but multiple appeals to the settlement have created some uncertainty. Depending on the outcome, Seitz said those cases could change the timeline for the bill's passage or render it moot altogether.
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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