NEBRASKA - His bill has yet to be written, but State Sen. Rich Pahls knows why he wants to change the statutes of limitation for sexual assault of children. He said he just needed to read the full report from Nebraska's Attorney General.

“I mean, you just cringe," Pahls said. "The number of people who they knew that we're doing wrong, and they allowed it; they allowed it.”

Attorney General Doug Peterson said the state would not bring any criminal charges towards the 258 reports of sexual abuse in Nebraska Catholic Churches due to statutes of limitations. He was doubtful that any civil lawsuits would come, either. Those statutes would need to change for any charges to be brought and that is exactly what he intends to do.

Despite knowing the difficulty of changing the statute of limitation laws, Pahls, a retired school administrator and former Omaha city councilman, said it is too important not to try.

“We must discuss this on the floor to make sure everybody understands because we have to look towards the future," he said. "Even though the Church has made changes, history has a tendency of repeating itself.”

Plenty of other states including California, Minnesota, Delaware, and Hawaii have changed their civil statutes to allow more time for civil suits. In Minnesota, for example, the Minneapolis archdiocese declared bankruptcy after the laws changed and lawsuits were settled.

Other states like Vermont have removed civil limitations completely – just like Pahls wants to do. For organizations like the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, the Vermont law is the gold standard.

If Pahls and supporters are successful, the priests could be prosecuted for the alleged crimes that took place decades ago.

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