DALLAS — Currently, in the state of Texas, survivors of child sexual abuse have 30 years from their 18th birthday to sue their perpetrators in civil court.
State Representative Ann Johnson, D-Houston, wants to eliminate that restrictive timeline and bring it in line with the criminal side, where there is no statute of limitations.
Rep. Johnson said it seemed like an easy fix, but it’s been anything but.
And she hopes H.B. 179 will at least get a hearing during the 89th legislative session that starts in January.
“This is now the third session in a row where we have offered this legislation. And I hope, for the first time, that we will get a hearing so that other Texans can hear from the victims who have suffered abuse at the hands of individuals, oftentimes that were being shielded by organizations or institutions that have avoided civil responsibility,” the Democrat told us on Inside Texas Politics.
Rep. Johnson was the chief prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Section.
Now in private practice, she works as an attorney for victims of sexual exploitation, often helping people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Since her legislation has never received a hearing, the Democrat said the public, and lawmakers, deserve to learn who is actively campaigning against it behind the scenes.
When discussing her legislation, Johnson specifically mentioned Cindy Clemishire, a north Texas woman who accused Gateway Church senior pastor Robert Morris of first molesting her when she was only 12 years old. Morris, the megachurch's founder, resigned within days of the accusation going public.
Johnson also highlighted the sex abuse scandals at Irving-based Boy Scouts of America and the Southern Baptist Convention as examples of organizations protecting sexual predators.
She argues that opening up the civil courthouse doors will allow the public to learn more about such organizations.
“If you opened up the hearing room, if you opened up the courthouse doors and you heard from these victims, then every Texan would learn about what’s a good organization and what’s not. Who’s protecting kids and who’s not,” said the lawmaker. “I do not understand why the state of Texas continues to shield sexual predators and the organizations that have protected them.”