Efforts to expand legal timelines for child abuse victims stall again.
Missouri lawmakers took a small but important step this year by getting rid of non-disclosure agreements in cases involving child sex abuse. That change means survivors can speak openly without fear of breaking legal contracts that once forced silence. But another major proposal meant to support those same survivors didn’t make it through. For the third year in a row, a bill that would have extended the time childhood abuse victims have to sue has again failed to pass.
The idea behind the bill was simple: give victims more time to take legal action. Right now, Missouri allows survivors only until age 31 to file a civil case. Many people don’t come forward until much later. This delay is common in child sex abuse cases. Missouri is behind most of the country on this issue—dozens of states have already extended their timelines, and some have removed limits entirely.
The bill had support from both political parties before it again failed. It faced resistance from business groups, insurance companies, and lobbyists. These opponents argued that letting victims file cases later would mean more lawsuits, and that would cost insurance companies more money. Tort reform supporters didn’t like the idea either, saying it expanded the right to sue too far. These groups have a lot of influence in Missouri’s Capitol.
Lawmakers tried to attach the bill to a different, more controversial measure dealing with personal injury lawsuits. Some believed this move was a way to get both pieces of legislation passed. Others saw it as a political trick. Even some lawmakers admitted the good part of the bill made it hard to vote against the larger package, even if they didn’t support the rest of it.
One of the bill’s sponsors, Representative Brian Seitz, said he never got a direct “no” on the bill. But he believes the real power in the Capitol doesn’t sit with lawmakers. According to him, lobby groups come first, followed by government workers, then party leaders, then lawmakers. And at the bottom, he said, are people like the janitor. That’s how hard it is, he said, to pass bills that don’t have financial backing.
Senator Brad Hudson, who also backed the proposal, said he plans to bring it back next year. He believes failing to act makes Missouri a place where offenders might feel safe.
The issue has strong ties to real abuse that happened in Missouri. Seitz has said his bill was partly driven by the well-known case involving Kanakuk Kamps in Branson. Pete Newman, a former director at the camp, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual abuse. He’s serving two life sentences and more. Some say the number of victims could be in the hundreds. Though the camp says it didn’t know what Newman was doing, survivors and former staff say the harm went unaddressed for years.
Elizabeth Phillips is one of the people who has pushed hardest for the law to change. Her brother, Trey Carlock, was one of Newman’s victims. He died by suicide years later. Phillips has traveled from Texas to Missouri to advocate for better laws. She says this year felt different, like there was real momentum. But with the bill once again stopped short, she says she’ll be back next year.
Supporters say Missouri lawmakers will have to decide whether they want to protect institutions that were part of the problem or stand with those who lived through abuse. The fight is far from over. For now, the win on non-disclosure agreements is a step forward—but not the one many hoped would finally come.
Sources:
Special interests stopped Missouri sex abuse survivors bill: Lawmaker
Missouri failed to extend child sex abuse statute of limitations again. What’s getting in the way?
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