A preliminary offer from the Pennsylvania Senate that does not allow for retroactive civil suits has strained negotiations on the legislative response to the grand jury report.
The offer, first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, includes a tribunal of state appeals judges tasked with handing out money from a defined fund, which a senate memo describes as “the most compensation a victim can receive in the timeliest manner possible.”
Any organization could pay in to settle child abuse cases. The panel would audit groups to determine how much funding each could reasonably offer, and victims would have one year to make claims.