Iowa Senate OKs bill helping Boy Scout sex abuse survivors recoup more money in settlement
Iowa Boy Scouts who were sexually abused as children will be able to recover more money through a national bankruptcy settlement under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate.
The Senate voted 46-0 Tuesday to pass Senate File 2431, sending it to the House for consideration.
"Although it’s not going to be able to take away the true pain that happened years ago, hopefully this will give a little bit of relief to their lives going forward," said Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, the bill's floor manager.
Hundreds of Iowans are part of a national 2020 bankruptcy settlement agreement with the Boy Scouts of America, which designates a $2.46 billion fund to settle decades of sexual abuse cases from over 82,000 victims who were abused by Boy Scout troop leaders.
But because of Iowa's strict statute of limitations, former Boy Scouts from Iowa are at risk of losing out on millions of dollars unless the state changes its law.
The legislation removes the statute of limitations for claims related to child sexual abuse only for people who are part of the 2020 bankruptcy settlement.
More: Iowa looks to change statute of limitations law to help Boy Scout sexual abuse survivors
Without the law change, Iowans would be at a disadvantage because the settlement uses a matrix of factors to determine how much victims can be paid. They include how much abuse the victim suffered, how long it lasted and the state's statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims.
Iowa's statute of limitations on civil claims requires child sexual abuse victims to file suit by the time they turn 19. Or, if the abuse is discovered after the victim becomes an adult, the claim must be filed within four years of when they make the connection between their abuse and their injuries.
Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said the bill will prevent Iowa abuse survivors from being financially penalized simply because their abuse occurred in Iowa.
"I also want to thank all of the Iowans who I know are listening — I’m hearing them on my phone — who shared their stories with lawmakers, painful stories, requesting our help to prevent a system that failed to protect them as children from harming them again as grown-ups," she said.
More: Iowa sex abuse victim in Boy Scouts case could be among hundreds shortchanged by state law
The bill passed Tuesday by the Senate only applies to people who are part of the Boy Scouts of America settlement. It does not change the current civil statute of limitations law for other survivors of child sexual abuse.
In 2021, Iowa lawmakers removed the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges in child sexual abuse cases, but left in place the strict limit on civil lawsuits.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Senate OKs law change to help Boy Scout sexual abuse survivors
