0:10 [UNKNOWN]: Thank you. 0:30 [SPEAKER_01]: in Annapolis, Maryland, on February 20, survivors to resell in Caster, in Gene Wainer, joined other survivors, and experts at a hearing to state committee members on why the hidden predator act of 2020 should be passed. 0:46 [SPEAKER_01]: This act would eliminate the statute of limitations for abuse survivors, allowing them to have their day and civil court to expose their abuser. 0:55 [SPEAKER_01]: Last year this act passed the Maryland House, but failed in the Senate. 1:01 [SPEAKER_01]: This year they continue their fight for survivors in Maryland. 1:05 [SPEAKER_01]: The full hearing is around two hours long, so we will release them one after another. 1:10 [SPEAKER_01]: During this first part, the panel insisting of survivors and experts will speak to the committee members. 1:17 [SPEAKER_01]: There are three panels in this first part, with Gene speaking in the last one. 1:21 [SPEAKER_01]: After each panel speaks, the committee members ask questions prior to the next panel starting. 1:27 [SPEAKER_09]: Next week's episode will include Teresa Lancaster. 1:41 [SPEAKER_09]: 974 sexual limitations bill. 1:44 [SPEAKER_09]: It's a little uncomfortable sometimes me especially coming from this community. 1:47 [SPEAKER_09]: A reputation here isn't always best. 1:48 [SPEAKER_09]: I know some folks find me a little bit combative. 1:51 [SPEAKER_09]: Angry and personal. 1:53 [SPEAKER_09]: I do have a sports earth style politics. 1:55 [SPEAKER_09]: Sometimes moody frustrated. 1:57 [SPEAKER_09]: Distant or unpredictable. 1:59 [SPEAKER_09]: I have to accept all that. 2:00 [SPEAKER_09]: I fight my own it. 2:01 [SPEAKER_09]: That's five about my childhood about six years. 2:03 [SPEAKER_09]: And so I'm always a shock when people are disappointed or a surprise. 2:07 [SPEAKER_09]: That's the kind of person that I am. 2:10 [SPEAKER_09]: That's my percent because my mindset since I was a little boy's always been the same and college degrees I'll let go of says and change that. 2:16 [SPEAKER_09]: I've never been shit. 2:17 [SPEAKER_09]: I go and be shit. 2:18 [SPEAKER_09]: I wake up every one of that same way Course I'm distrustful, but instead of being selected as the be part of a family I was chosen as a camera We'll see it's a little sexual play toy And I'm volatile because I was forced that girl sex on a grown man. 2:34 [SPEAKER_09]: It's punishment My misdeeds 2:38 [SPEAKER_09]: Yeah, I'm cynical because the one man who said he loved me, the one that I had to call father was the same inside of me for years, and so I'm full of self-loathing and anger because in my heart I should have fought harder. 2:50 [SPEAKER_09]: I didn't try hard enough to stop it even though I was a tiny boy. 3:07 [SPEAKER_09]: very less most of all I have to live in fear the one day I'm going to wake up just like and have some weird unscribed appetite for little boys because they tell me it's sickle see I know no matter how hard I try I'm not going to be normal I'm sick is all my secrets and that's why it hurts oh and I'm not going to be okay so no matter when you see how I walk around and 3:37 [SPEAKER_09]: How much more damage are broken I'd be if I found out Tom had other victims before him and that these other children complained about him and since the services didn't do anything about it. 3:49 [SPEAKER_09]: But they could have protected me from him and they chose not to and that's why I'm here. 3:55 [SPEAKER_09]: I'm not here to regal you with the horrors that I've survived or remind you of how messed up I am. 3:59 [SPEAKER_09]: Most of you don't need to know that. 4:02 [SPEAKER_09]: I'm here because there are many institutions that couldn't protect that art countless child victims from sex abuse, and they chose not to, and they still chose not to. 4:12 [SPEAKER_09]: Because many of those victims are now time barred from bringing up these actions. 4:18 [SPEAKER_09]: The criminal evidence is stale, and such these predators are still out there, they're not exposed. 4:24 [SPEAKER_09]: I don't know if you might ask why don't I even telling my personal story because you 4:32 [SPEAKER_09]: and I'm not trusting everyone, and honestly, I never take anything for granted. 4:36 [SPEAKER_09]: I test five because I've got to give birth to the people in the survivors who get released when I'm done. 4:41 [SPEAKER_09]: And also give voice for those who can't find their voice yet. 4:44 [SPEAKER_09]: Thank you for indulging. 4:48 [SPEAKER_09]: This bill basically eliminates statutory limitations, telestates have done so. 4:51 [SPEAKER_09]: Six other states are considering doing so, Maryland will be forth and you need to provide 5:02 [SPEAKER_09]: It's exposed to its hidden predators. 5:05 [SPEAKER_09]: As in California doing 2003 and because of that 300 additional predators that were not discovered in the criminal process were found, when it started in 2013, 125 additional predators that we had did not know exist were found. 5:18 [SPEAKER_09]: And lastly, to get rid of that deception, there was place in the 2017 Statue, excuse me, a piece of legislation called a Statue of Repose. 5:26 [SPEAKER_09]: Nobody lit was in the committee then even knew about some codified language There was never an intent by this body to vest and constantly our Constitution protected rights premieres perpetrators in the organization So new my ask why it's adding up this with a criminal the criminal charges now not been through this before Obviously criminal discoveries very limited silver scabbers very expansive That's how we found about the Boy Scout perversion piles 5:55 [SPEAKER_09]: Bishop's Secret Archives, and prosecution folks is on an individual out in institution. 6:04 [SPEAKER_09]: These cases are especially because there is compelling state interest to expose these predators that we're not discovered. 6:09 [SPEAKER_09]: In addition, there's specific because this is the unique culture of silence, secrecy and shame that surround these crimes. 6:18 [SPEAKER_09]: The reporting age is average of 52 years old before people 6:23 [SPEAKER_09]: They hear about unfair litigation because now it's unbalanced, but there's been no reports of false claims in other 16 states down this, plaintiff still has a board burden, so eroding evidence actually penalized at the plaintiff, cases are still decided on their merits. 6:43 [SPEAKER_09]: You're not going to hear these institutions say that children were not sexually abused. 6:48 [SPEAKER_09]: They'll come to your office, they might talk, speak up today, but they will not deny that these children or sexy beams, or that these institutions did not know about it. 6:56 [SPEAKER_09]: They won't deny that they hit them, move them, or protect to these predators. 7:02 [SPEAKER_09]: They just tell you it's not a good bill. 7:04 [SPEAKER_09]: I never wanted this to be my legacy. 7:07 [SPEAKER_09]: I killed them all about this now because of these efforts. 7:11 [SPEAKER_09]: It's super embarrassing, but I've accepted the gap brought me here for the reasons. 7:17 [SPEAKER_08]: protect these tell sex peace victims and exposies brothers so I want for me to ask the church what God bring them here thank you thank you very much to the remaining witnesses will have two minutes to speak and at the discretion of the chair will extend that if necessary whoever would like to go to chairman and members thank you for allowing me to speak here 7:45 [SPEAKER_20]: in reverse of my testimony given the time. 7:48 [SPEAKER_20]: My name is Katherine Robb, I'm the Executive Director of Child U.S. advocacy. 7:52 [SPEAKER_20]: I am also a survivor of child sexual abuse from 89 to 14, so a lot of what the delegate says resonates with me. 8:03 [SPEAKER_20]: Last year, in 2019, 41 states introduced Statue of Limitation Reform. 8:11 [SPEAKER_20]: We tracked this all over the country. 8:13 [SPEAKER_20]: I was just in Kansas last week testifying them. 8:17 [SPEAKER_20]: Of those 41 states, 23 states passed, so I'll reform for child sexual abuse. 8:26 [SPEAKER_20]: Nine of those states passed either window legislation or revival legislation. 8:32 [SPEAKER_20]: This year alone, and let me remind you it's only February. 8:37 [SPEAKER_20]: Twenty-seven states, excuse me, have introduced S.O.L. 8:42 [SPEAKER_20]: reform for child sexual abuse and fourteen of those states, including this one, have either window or revival legislation. 8:54 [SPEAKER_20]: This is a national trend and the reason it's a national trend is because it's a national problem. 9:01 [SPEAKER_20]: We have an epidemic of child sexual abuse in this country and it is up to legislative bodies like yours to be wise and to make decisions to protect children. 9:15 [SPEAKER_20]: We have the data. 9:17 [SPEAKER_20]: We didn't have the data years ago. 9:19 [SPEAKER_20]: We didn't have the data about age 52. 9:22 [SPEAKER_20]: We didn't have the data about adverse childhood experiences. 9:27 [SPEAKER_20]: We did not have the data relative to the science of trauma technology. 9:32 [SPEAKER_20]: Guess what? 9:33 [SPEAKER_20]: Now we know. 9:34 [SPEAKER_20]: We know the problem. 9:36 [SPEAKER_20]: We know how vast it is. 9:40 [SPEAKER_20]: We know the response, we know that it takes victims, years, decades, if ever, to report. 9:49 [SPEAKER_20]: So I would say to all of you with utmost respect. 9:54 [SPEAKER_20]: Now we know, now we know, and it's time for you to respond, and to follow the national 10:15 [SPEAKER_19]: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, and committee members. 10:18 [SPEAKER_19]: My name is Carolyn Surek, the support of Bill HB-974. 10:22 [SPEAKER_19]: The issues before you are whether to eliminate the civil statute of limitations and whether to include a two-year look back window. 10:31 [SPEAKER_19]: I'm a key school survivor. 10:32 [SPEAKER_19]: It's not important that you know exactly what happened to me, but the timeline is. 10:37 [SPEAKER_19]: I graduated from Key in 76. 10:39 [SPEAKER_19]: I was a drug addict in the 80s. 10:41 [SPEAKER_19]: I started therapy in 85. 10:44 [SPEAKER_19]: It was 1993 when I finally pulled myself together enough to go and talk to a board member. 10:50 [SPEAKER_19]: In 1996, I met with the head of the school. 10:52 [SPEAKER_19]: I asked him to shine a bright light on the school's terrible history. 10:56 [SPEAKER_19]: I asked him to fire the teacher who was still there who had abused the students. 11:01 [SPEAKER_19]: And I asked him to help pay for the therapy retroactively in the present and in the future. 11:06 [SPEAKER_19]: He said no to everything. 11:09 [SPEAKER_19]: He would not shine a bright light. 11:10 [SPEAKER_19]: He would not help survivors get therapy. 11:13 [SPEAKER_19]: He would not fire the teacher who had slept with the students. 11:17 [SPEAKER_19]: There's a very real misconception about the lasting damage done by this kind of abuse. 11:22 [SPEAKER_19]: Our life expectancy is shorter. 11:25 [SPEAKER_19]: were more likely to be drug addicts and obese, were less likely to have successful long term relationships, were much less likely to have had the career successes that our peers experience. 11:36 [SPEAKER_19]: We don't make as much money, and we never will. 11:40 [SPEAKER_19]: Some people think this kind of trauma is like a broken leg, it's an injury that can be fixed. 11:44 [SPEAKER_19]: It might hurt when it rains, but most of the time you don't feel it. 11:48 [SPEAKER_19]: But in truth, it's more like the long-term illness, it's more like diabetes or hemophilia. 11:52 [SPEAKER_19]: It's with me every day, and I'll be in therapy for the rest of my life. 11:58 [SPEAKER_19]: Schools and churches are institutions that any given moment they're doing a cost benefit in analysis. 12:03 [SPEAKER_19]: Right now, they're helping survivors because the world is watching. 12:07 [SPEAKER_19]: In five years, they won't have to. 12:11 [SPEAKER_19]: You're here today to bear witness to these people who are telling you that terrible things happen 12:17 [SPEAKER_19]: They knew what was going on and they didn't know anything. 12:21 [SPEAKER_19]: And we, the victims, are asking you to do something, to do the right thing and pass this legislation. 12:27 [SPEAKER_19]: Thank you so much. 12:33 [SPEAKER_10]: Good afternoon, Chairman Flippinger, and distinguished members of the committee. 12:36 [SPEAKER_10]: My name is Playa Rimmington, I'm an executive director of the Maryland State Council on Child Abuse and Novak to Scan, as we call it. 12:42 [SPEAKER_10]: It's mandated by the family law article advised the governor and the general assembly on prevention detection, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse and neglect. 12:52 [SPEAKER_10]: scan it as submitted written testimony and and we strongly favor this bill. 12:58 [SPEAKER_10]: It's pediatrician's law enforcement mental health professionals, educators, prosecutors, child and family serving agents and nonprofits and survivors all behind this. 13:09 [SPEAKER_10]: You will hear many survivors analyzed today who are demanding transparency in account. 13:13 [SPEAKER_10]: ability from all of our institutions in order to expose hidden creditors and provide healing injustice for survivors. 13:20 [SPEAKER_10]: Several themes will run throughout the testimony that you're about to hear. 13:23 [SPEAKER_10]: I'd like to highlight a few. 13:25 [SPEAKER_10]: First ask many ask why survivors don't tell earlier. 13:29 [SPEAKER_10]: The truth is that many have told 13:31 [SPEAKER_10]: They did tell, on multiple occasions, they told teachers, friends, parents, pediatricians, law enforcement, CPS workers, prosecutors, and administrators of churches use sort of serving organizations and Olympic committees. 13:44 [SPEAKER_10]: And they told the Maryland General Assembly over and over for the last 20 years. 13:49 [SPEAKER_10]: Thank you last year. 13:50 [SPEAKER_10]: This committee for passing this bill out of the midi and through the floor at 133 vote. 13:59 [SPEAKER_10]: ask that you pass this bill out of the committee this time. 14:03 [SPEAKER_10]: Other than currency and accountability, you'll also hear some some folks on the opposition and not maybe in testimony today but behind the scenes I know they are meeting with folks again behind the scenes. 14:17 [SPEAKER_10]: And one thing you'll hear is the social sciences have a name for it. 14:22 [SPEAKER_10]: It's called Darba. 14:23 [SPEAKER_10]: They first deny the abuse and the cover up or they attack. 14:27 [SPEAKER_10]: They will attack the victim or those that expose the use and the cover up. 14:32 [SPEAKER_10]: They reverse the victim and a fender. 14:35 [SPEAKER_10]: And listen to that in the arguments that you hear. 14:38 [SPEAKER_10]: Many who say they are doing all they can to hers. 14:41 [SPEAKER_10]: He'll purposely act and spend money on defending assets and reputations of the 14:46 [SPEAKER_10]: expensive children and survivors all under the cloak of darkness. 14:50 [SPEAKER_10]: The statute of reposed last in 2017 was a tremendous example of that. 14:55 [SPEAKER_10]: We asked that you pass HB947 to ensure transparency and accountability healing and survive justice for survivors and protection for future generations and children. 15:05 [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you. 15:06 [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you very much. 15:08 [SPEAKER_08]: Are there questions for the panel? 15:10 [SPEAKER_08]: Go to delegate Cox first and delegate Shetty? 15:14 [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you members of the panel, and not to my fellow delegate. 15:19 [SPEAKER_08]: I want to just commend you and state very clearly to you that, you know, how much I admire you. 15:25 [SPEAKER_08]: I tell my son in the 80 second to be inspired by you. 15:28 [SPEAKER_08]: And hopefully he'll follow your path and become a member of the bar and join me in my practice someday. 15:32 [SPEAKER_08]: So your story is inspiring. 15:34 [SPEAKER_08]: I came to you with 15:35 [SPEAKER_08]: Some potential amendments that we discussed. 15:39 [SPEAKER_09]: I'm just going to ask you real quickly whether or not you're okay with those amendments We haven't we had a chance for you to fall. 15:44 [SPEAKER_09]: I'll say this only because of the statutory approach. 15:47 [SPEAKER_09]: It was snuck in one of the other Bill's is we really would like a chance actually reviewed them word by word. 15:52 [SPEAKER_09]: Sure. 15:53 [SPEAKER_09]: There is no duplicity here. 15:54 [SPEAKER_09]: I understand you might be moving a good faith 15:56 [SPEAKER_08]: Sure, if you have, I'd like to see. 15:58 [SPEAKER_08]: Real quick, one of them, my understanding from your testament from last year, could you remind me, who is your guardian at the time you were at being sure? 16:05 [SPEAKER_08]: It would have been part of social services, and then I was about OK. 16:08 [SPEAKER_08]: And so in that context, my research and my work in the law has shown that happens unfortunately, it's a very sad fact. 16:15 [SPEAKER_00]: Correct. 16:15 [SPEAKER_08]: In fact, like 80% of some of the instances, very high sexual abuse rating. 16:20 [SPEAKER_08]: So that's one of my amendments. 16:21 [SPEAKER_08]: And the other one would be to put that on par with current bill as the private entities in terms of damages. 16:30 [SPEAKER_08]: If you could take a look at that, let me know. 16:32 [SPEAKER_08]: Georgian. 16:41 [SPEAKER_15]: Thank you, Mr. 16:41 [SPEAKER_15]: Chair. 16:42 [SPEAKER_15]: This is among the most typical bills that we hear each year. 16:46 [SPEAKER_15]: I think for many of us, and I want to thank the all that was in for the courage and for. 16:52 [SPEAKER_15]: reading this effort for so many years, as I shared in this filtering last year, I myself am a survivor of a salt and like you delegate did not report for some time. 17:05 [SPEAKER_15]: And like many who are here who support this effort, I think there are so many people who, and so much of the research is around what happened to you is not your fault and it should never feel like the choice to report 17:22 [SPEAKER_15]: I want to just ask a couple of questions these to one of the panelists, Mr. Rick. 17:28 [SPEAKER_15]: Thank you for sharing your story. 17:30 [SPEAKER_15]: And I know you shared that you have been working in therapy for some time, and that this is something that will live with you. 17:40 [SPEAKER_15]: for the rest of your life. 17:42 [SPEAKER_15]: And I'm just curious that there are other things you've had to do to heal and to go through this process. 17:48 [SPEAKER_15]: And then a second question is whether the institution that 17:54 [SPEAKER_00]: You attend ed. 17:55 [SPEAKER_15]: I don't know the status of whether it's still around or bankrupt or if there is a bankruptcy in this institution or other institutions that are these type of efforts, how does that affect the survivors of what's gone on. 18:12 [SPEAKER_19]: Thank you so much for asking me. 18:14 [SPEAKER_19]: I have been committed to wellness for a long time. 18:17 [SPEAKER_19]: And I don't actually ever talk about it because when I try to stop being a drug addict, the first thing that really helped was acupuncture. 18:26 [SPEAKER_19]: And I haven't given it up, so I've been in acupuncture for 35 years, regularly, and this part of my personal wellness, I also think that body works really important. 18:38 [SPEAKER_19]: So that's been a part of my wellness. 18:40 [SPEAKER_19]: I November went back into my state books since 1985 to count the number of therapy sessions I've had. 18:47 [SPEAKER_19]: And November it was 2,314, but there were a couple of years missing, so it is a long 18:54 [SPEAKER_19]: And as for the institution, the key school is in anapolis, it's filling business, it has a 12 million dollar endowment, and they have very clearly said that they will not make any kind of 19:09 [SPEAKER_19]: they will not help with therapy retroactively of any kind. 19:12 [SPEAKER_19]: They will help people as they move forward. 19:16 [SPEAKER_19]: They have a $10,000 cat per person per year, which doesn't help some people. 19:20 [SPEAKER_19]: And they do not guarantee that it will happen for more than a year. 19:23 [SPEAKER_19]: They've said that they will continue that fund indefinitely, but indefinitely is not the same as permanently. 19:32 [SPEAKER_01]: life can get overwhelming and talking to someone can make all the difference. 19:38 [SPEAKER_01]: Better help, the sponsor of this episode, make starting therapy simple. 19:43 [SPEAKER_01]: Complete a short questionnaire and you'll be matched with a licensed therapist and as little as a couple of days. 19:51 [SPEAKER_01]: You can connect by message, phone or video, from wherever you feel comfortable. 19:56 [SPEAKER_01]: And if the first therapist isn't the right fit, 20:02 [SPEAKER_01]: Better help include a journal for personal reflection and daily group sessions on a variety of topics and they accept each essay and FSA cards. 20:13 [SPEAKER_01]: with over 2,000,000 users, and a 4. star rating on trust pilot, better help is a trusted platform for accessible mental health care. 20:22 [SPEAKER_01]: If you think you could benefit from therapy, visit betterhelp.com, choose our podcast during sign up, and get 10% off your first month. 20:32 [SPEAKER_01]: Taking care of your mental health is a sign of strength. 20:35 [SPEAKER_01]: Start your journey today. 20:46 [SPEAKER_12]: This is not really Elfus that you can understand. 20:51 [SPEAKER_12]: Terry Anderson was one of the hostages that was taken during the Iran crisis and he wrote a book and I think he forgave the captain. 20:59 [SPEAKER_12]: And then he just disappeared because he was with a journalist and everything and he lived with his family and I've never been able to get a whole little book But I think the whole point was that to forgive and you could move on and I guess how does the Opening of the statute of limitations for two years help with the forgiveness that will it will it provide some pieces? 21:19 [SPEAKER_12]: What I want 21:20 [SPEAKER_09]: I don't believe that there's any silver silver bullet for healing in any individuals we have individuals that are in great high upper middle class lives that commit suicide because of that test scores. 21:31 [SPEAKER_09]: So each person deals with tragedy in a heartache in a different way. 21:35 [SPEAKER_09]: So forgive this may work for some. 21:36 [SPEAKER_09]: I don't believe that's the end of all as well. 21:38 [SPEAKER_09]: I think the two year look back window for me was more about making sure that each of the individuals that I've suffered if they want to can have not other day in court. 21:50 [SPEAKER_09]: Forgive this is out. 21:51 [SPEAKER_09]: I think it's something they can choose if you're not. 21:53 [SPEAKER_09]: I don't think the end of the day They necessarily helps the healing process. 21:56 [SPEAKER_09]: I know I can forgive Tom all I want. 21:58 [SPEAKER_09]: It's not going to change my tomorrow It's not going to change my yesterday 22:01 [SPEAKER_09]: I have a good heart, but it doesn't mean it's going to make things better. 22:05 [SPEAKER_09]: It's not going to do anything. 22:06 [SPEAKER_09]: I think, again, that's a tool for one tool in the pack, but it's not a silver bullet. 22:10 [SPEAKER_20]: I could just respond to that as a survivor myself and someone who studies this all over the country. 22:16 [SPEAKER_20]: I think it's really hard and it depends on your personal experience, your religious spiritual background. 22:22 [SPEAKER_20]: I think it's very difficult to find forgiveness if there's no accountability. 22:32 [SPEAKER_20]: How can you forgive someone with someone smacks you and then says, why didn't do it, I didn't mean it? 22:39 [SPEAKER_20]: Are you supposed to say, oh, I forgive you? 22:41 [SPEAKER_20]: We're not admitting it. 22:45 [SPEAKER_20]: Stopping it and stopping it from happening to others. 22:49 [SPEAKER_20]: It's hard to find forgiveness that way. 22:56 [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you, Mr. 22:56 [SPEAKER_02]: Chair. 22:57 [SPEAKER_02]: And thank you, delegate will some core 23:02 [SPEAKER_02]: I have a question, or an archeologist, I don't have your name on it. 23:07 [SPEAKER_02]: And you mentioned the science of tomatology. 23:10 [SPEAKER_02]: I never heard of it, but I can understand why it exists. 23:14 [SPEAKER_02]: Could you please speak to, especially with respect to this bill, the problem with memory recall when you have been sexually assaulted as a child and how there could be a delayed recall in memory 23:31 [SPEAKER_02]: that is used to manage the trauma. 23:34 [SPEAKER_20]: First of all, there's a difference between not being able to remember and not being not allowing herself to remember. 23:44 [SPEAKER_20]: and what we know from the science of tomatology certainly from the adverse childhood experience studies which are gaining every day there's a new job these right what we are learning is that the only way children can survive I know for myself personally the only way to survive I never forgot the experiences of sexual abuse but there's a psychological theory 24:14 [SPEAKER_20]: So children disassociate from the pain and trauma. 24:18 [SPEAKER_20]: We see this in work world, in countries that are in the midst of war, like Syria, what children go through there, in terms of post-traumatic stress, whether it be depression, whether it be sleeping issues, failure to thrive at school, eating issues, a whole host of issues. 24:36 [SPEAKER_20]: I, for example, couldn't sleep at night, because my abuser raped me. 24:43 [SPEAKER_20]: My mother took me to a neurologist, she thought I had a problem. 24:47 [SPEAKER_20]: I did have a problem, but I couldn't share it with her. 24:53 [SPEAKER_20]: And the reasons I couldn't share it with her is not because I couldn't remember. 24:56 [SPEAKER_20]: It was because I couldn't think about what I could remember. 25:01 [SPEAKER_20]: And all of the research, that's a sum. 25:04 [SPEAKER_20]: I hope that answers your question. 25:06 [SPEAKER_02]: It answers my question. 25:08 [SPEAKER_02]: I know that I've heard survivors speak to almost the thought that it was almost needing confirmation in the sense that they thought that the they had broken. 25:24 [SPEAKER_09]: Yeah, that's a very common, even to this day, sometimes if I read the book, I wrote something that doesn't, it's not me. 25:29 [SPEAKER_09]: In fact, when I wrote that book, that's where the damage really took place because I've 25:38 [SPEAKER_09]: That's the part about the being disassociated. 25:41 [SPEAKER_09]: This order is it's not just for that price for people, like you just back away from everyone and you learn and that really when you're living that, it's like ripping all the wounds of open at the same time. 25:53 [SPEAKER_09]: So a lot of folks just can't live that. 25:55 [SPEAKER_09]: You can't survive that way. 25:56 [SPEAKER_09]: You can't sleep. 25:57 [SPEAKER_09]: I don't mean you can't sleep. 25:58 [SPEAKER_09]: You can't survive. 25:59 [SPEAKER_09]: No one do a check those little parts off of your mind. 26:02 [SPEAKER_09]: And either repression, recall, whatever. 26:05 [SPEAKER_09]: It's just, yes, they didn't happen to me. 26:07 [SPEAKER_09]: And at some point if you practice a lot longer, I feel become a true. 26:10 [SPEAKER_02]: And so what my question is, so I agree with everything you said. 26:14 [SPEAKER_02]: And at some point in time, whenever you're ready, perhaps after years of therapy or whatever, when you're ready to admit, then a bill like this would is a tool. 26:31 [SPEAKER_02]: to have to give some level of assistance, healing closure and healing when that time comes. 26:38 [SPEAKER_02]: And that's something that you just can't put. 26:39 [SPEAKER_02]: A finite number of years or so. 26:42 [SPEAKER_02]: And I just need to see if that is correct. 26:45 [SPEAKER_02]: You would agree with. 26:46 [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know. 26:48 [SPEAKER_10]: I just wanted to add that we do have somebody here from the University of Maryland School of Psychiatry that's going to be testifying as to childhood trauma from the National. 26:55 [SPEAKER_10]: Right, traumatic stress, child stress, not working. 27:01 [SPEAKER_05]: I want to say I remember in the interim in between this session last session, there were some states that similar legislation passed. 27:22 [SPEAKER_05]: And my first question is, was it in the same posture as this legislation here? 27:28 [SPEAKER_05]: And the reason I asked that is that some folks have expressed concerns about, is there a constitutional issue related to changing statues of limitations, for example? 27:38 [SPEAKER_05]: And so like I said, in the interim, I was interesting to see that it looked as if there were six or seven states that had passed the exact same legislation. 27:48 [SPEAKER_05]: And so you can speak to that and then speak to the issue of the statutory limitations and very issues related to that. 27:54 [SPEAKER_20]: So of course it depends on the jurisdiction, because every jurisdiction has a little bit of a different constitution, but most states are saying it is constitutional. 28:05 [SPEAKER_20]: If there's concern about the constitutionality of the retroactivity, what they are saying is, let's leave that up to the pros. 28:15 [SPEAKER_20]: The courts, let's legislate here to fix a societal problem, and if there are some concerns about constitutionality of retroactivity, let's leave it up to that, up to the courts to do their job, what they do. 28:31 [SPEAKER_20]: But right now, Maryland, 28:34 [SPEAKER_20]: quite frankly and with all due respect is in the dark age. 28:38 [SPEAKER_20]: Other states are moving rapidly. 28:41 [SPEAKER_20]: Like I said, 27 states this year have introduced legislation like this. 28:46 [SPEAKER_20]: Last year we have nine states. 28:48 [SPEAKER_20]: The past retroactivity New York has just introduced just this year. 28:54 [SPEAKER_20]: another bill to extend the window because they realized it wasn't enough tone. 28:59 [SPEAKER_20]: California has introduced a new window, another three-year window in Hawaii has introduced a window three times because they're realizing what's happening with this window legislation is we're discovering all these hidden predators. 29:14 [SPEAKER_20]: Now, the state of Vermont gets the gold medal because their legislation last year was complete elimination for child sexual abuse, complete elimination, and a wide open permanent window. 29:29 [SPEAKER_20]: You know what Vermont said? 29:30 [SPEAKER_20]: We want said, we stand with justice. 29:34 [SPEAKER_20]: Vermont said, we stand with kids. 29:37 [SPEAKER_20]: We are not going to stand the sexual predators and institutions that hide them. 29:42 [SPEAKER_05]: So I just think it's, you would say it's fair to say that this is not groundbreaking nationally. 29:48 [SPEAKER_05]: That other states have implemented windows in different versions, it might be, 29:52 [SPEAKER_05]: Brown break the Maryland, but nationally, that's not the case. 29:55 [SPEAKER_20]: No, nationally, it is in Norris trend last year. 29:58 [SPEAKER_20]: I mean, it was just a banner here. 30:00 [SPEAKER_20]: And quite frankly, it's only February. 30:03 [SPEAKER_20]: And 30:05 [SPEAKER_20]: In the past six weeks, I've been in six different states, testifying, because so many states have introduced these types of bills, because states are saying, we have to act. 30:16 [SPEAKER_20]: I'm sure that Maryland, like other states, did this when we discovered, oh, kids need to be in car seats. 30:24 [SPEAKER_20]: You all responded, you changed the law. 30:28 [SPEAKER_20]: Kids shouldn't smoke. 30:30 [SPEAKER_20]: You all responded. 30:31 [SPEAKER_20]: You changed the law. 30:32 [SPEAKER_20]: You saw the dangers, right? 30:35 [SPEAKER_20]: As soon as we know about the harm and we understand the scientific data and their scientific data, their social science data, and there's medical data out there about why survivors do not report, why they take so long. 30:51 [SPEAKER_20]: Not just my personal experience, but I've read all the data. 30:54 [SPEAKER_20]: So what's happening is legislative bodies are saying, okay, now we know. 31:01 [SPEAKER_20]: This epidemic, but let me tell you, if you look at the numbers of one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually assaulted before their 18, we have a much bigger problem on our hands people. 31:14 [SPEAKER_20]: Okay, this is a virus epidemic portions that doesn't come with a fever, it doesn't come with a rash, it doesn't come with upper respiratory distress, when it comes with. 31:30 [SPEAKER_20]: is children who are silenced and harmed for the rest of their life. 31:36 [SPEAKER_20]: And that's why legislative bodies across the country are responding and doing the right thing. 31:43 [SPEAKER_20]: Thank you. 31:45 [SPEAKER_08]: Are there further questions for this panel? 31:51 [SPEAKER_01]: Out of the shadows is sponsored by Best Feans, one of the things that I love about True Prime is that the further you dig into a story, the more layers you uncover. 32:01 [SPEAKER_01]: That's part of what I love about the puzzle game Best Feans, too. 32:05 [SPEAKER_01]: The more I play, the more fun it gets. 32:08 [SPEAKER_01]: Reaching each new level feels like uncovering a new layer in a story. 32:12 [SPEAKER_01]: One you get to take part in. 32:21 [SPEAKER_01]: When I need to get my mind off the world in hard to hear stories, I play best fiends. 32:27 [SPEAKER_01]: I play every night and since my game is linked to my Facebook, I compete with friends to reach a higher level. 32:33 [SPEAKER_01]: When you start playing, make sure to add me on Facebook. 32:36 [SPEAKER_01]: My favorite character is Vega. 32:38 [SPEAKER_01]: He's a firefly. 32:39 [SPEAKER_01]: Best fiends has thousands of levels already, with 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Best Feans. 33:19 [SPEAKER_08]: Okay, Yena Cockran, Dave Lorenz, I will start from you here on my farthest to the right, and we'll go all the way across. 33:31 [SPEAKER_08]: The two at the end will need to switch seats that you can be in the camera shot when you're test-fire. 33:36 [SPEAKER_16]: Okay? 33:37 [SPEAKER_16]: Good afternoon, my name is Patricia Stollings Mills. 33:40 [SPEAKER_16]: I have a very unique perspective on this particular house bill. 33:44 [SPEAKER_16]: I was a 12-year graduate from the Catholic schools in Montgomery County, the Archdiocese of Washington, and currently live in Howard County. 33:52 [SPEAKER_16]: My father was a permanent ordained deacon in the Catholic Church, a person that permanent deacon, and while I was a child of seven, I woke up one night to see him raping my 16-year-old sister as we share it a bedroom. 34:05 [SPEAKER_16]: I felt confused, I felt ashamed, and, along with short of it, was that it was because you realized I saw him begin with me including verbal and physical violence until over the age of 16. 34:17 [SPEAKER_16]: In 2007 after my mother died, my sister and I were faced for the first time in our 40s and 50s to talk about what we had experienced at the hands of our own father. 34:30 [SPEAKER_16]: The worst of it was starting to understand 34:33 [SPEAKER_16]: This man's focus for his ministry in the Catholic Church was to the use of his parish, which included being CIO coach, which included working with the school and included most specifically ministering to teenagers, giving him three access to more victims. 34:50 [SPEAKER_16]: Suddenly our silence took on poll new meeting, what if we weren't the only ones and we were devastated. 34:58 [SPEAKER_16]: At that time, 34:59 [SPEAKER_16]: The only reports we had then was to go to the Montgomery County Police Department to ask them that there was any way we could find out if there's any way we could do anything about this and hopefully and his ministry at church. 35:14 [SPEAKER_16]: Donuffette and the estate attorney at that time, the estate attorney's office at that time, graciously kindly walked us through the process but telling us all along, you guys don't understand, started back in the 1970s. 35:27 [SPEAKER_16]: When in the beautiful state of Maryland and then the other states, we didn't have laws on the books to protect children from incest and rape. 35:37 [SPEAKER_16]: Now, with this billed before you, I don't want my children, my grandchildren to say, 35:43 [SPEAKER_16]: when you had to report something like this. 35:46 [SPEAKER_16]: My father in a phone staying with the Montgomery County police arrogantly admitted to raping over 60 times while he was a permanent deep. 35:56 [SPEAKER_16]: I believe in the Catholic, quickly, that God sets our feet on a path for a certain. 36:01 [SPEAKER_16]: purpose. 36:02 [SPEAKER_16]: And monsters like my father changed those paths irreversible. 36:06 [SPEAKER_16]: I am 55 years old and I still live with this every day, counseling with no money from the Catholic Church or any other organization because they said that would be paramount to an admission of guilt that you have to fit for yourself. 36:20 [SPEAKER_16]: Other girls in the church came forward. 36:22 [SPEAKER_16]: Other relatives and the me two started and it still continues. 36:26 [SPEAKER_16]: We still have a time to phone rings jump because we don't know if it's another victim of my father's. 36:31 [SPEAKER_16]: So I'm just asking you, removing a statute of limitations will help our state's youngest victim. 36:38 [SPEAKER_06]: Good afternoon. 36:39 [SPEAKER_06]: My name is Mike Fitzpatrick, and I'm a board member, no more stolen childhoods. 36:43 [SPEAKER_06]: And I'm here today to read testimony and favor of H.B. 36:46 [SPEAKER_06]: 974. 36:48 [SPEAKER_06]: I'll be half of a gentleman who wished to remain anonymous, but I'll go ahead and read his testimony. 36:52 [SPEAKER_06]: Good morning. 36:53 [SPEAKER_06]: Good afternoon. 36:54 [SPEAKER_06]: I'm 61-year-old male. 36:55 [SPEAKER_06]: He was great and sexually assaulted between the ages of 10 to 13. 37:00 [SPEAKER_06]: aren't here at my church. 37:02 [SPEAKER_06]: I chose to remain anonymous because I have not publicly revealed what happened to me for reasons that should be obvious, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, and the psychological injury caused by reliving the trauma in public. 37:15 [SPEAKER_06]: I've been a therapy for approximately two years and have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, all selling from the abuse I suffered as a young boy. 37:25 [SPEAKER_06]: Unfortunately, my story is 37:29 [SPEAKER_06]: And around the edge of tandem, adult volunteer at my church, coach for me, and some sports for the church teams in the influential role of coach he befriended my family at me, eventually becoming a trusted adult, within my parents became comfortable allowing him to spend time with me for a period of three years, he sexually assaulted me several times, until at some point the abuse stopped. 37:50 [SPEAKER_06]: But purpose and testifying is to try and explain the recent period of limitation within this been such claims and to be found on the appropriate and not the deficit of people like people. 37:59 [SPEAKER_06]: Well, I always had some memory of events that might have led me to believe I had been sexually abused. 38:04 [SPEAKER_06]: These memories were very fragmented, episodic and brief. 38:08 [SPEAKER_06]: Those aren't still reading nerf reports about the Pennsylvania Attorney General report that the memory fragments began to add up to my own experience with abuse. 38:16 [SPEAKER_06]: Nearly 50 years after the abuse began, it well beyond either the most generous limitation periods. 38:22 [SPEAKER_06]: Since the realization, I too am one of the victims that we all have read about, a continued strungal daily, it's time to add anxiety, panic attacks, periods of depression, all of which have strengthened my ability to continue to work and lead a normal life as one might hope. 38:35 [SPEAKER_06]: through intense therapy with a psychologist experience in trauma, I've been able to understand exactly what was done to me as a boy and see how the abuse affected me throughout my life. 38:44 [SPEAKER_06]: It was emotionally devastated to come to terms with my own abuse and to realize I'm not the person I always believe in myself. 38:50 [SPEAKER_06]: But I have fortunate many ways. 38:52 [SPEAKER_06]: I have a family that is very supportive. 38:54 [SPEAKER_06]: I have resources that, before being the opportunity, continue therapy and learn to cope with my new reality. 38:59 [SPEAKER_06]: And because of the known interests of work, time, pressure, and stuff of daily living or too much for me to handle, I am able to contemplate early retirement and a chance to live the best life I can under the most of my research sense. 39:10 [SPEAKER_06]: Many are not as fortunate as I am. 39:12 [SPEAKER_06]: Any of experience you've used wind up in one of the big three, dead, addicted, or incarcerated. 39:18 [SPEAKER_06]: It is for these others that I testified today to deserve a chance to tell their experience if they can and to be made whole with possible by those responsible for causing or allowing such ours to belong for them. 39:29 [SPEAKER_06]: HB974, the legal obstacle that only adds to their suffering on their behalf, I ask you to vote in favor of HB974, and give them a voice so they will not be left to suffer in silence. 39:43 [SPEAKER_11]: Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Lippinger. 39:45 [SPEAKER_11]: Members of the committee. 39:46 [SPEAKER_11]: My name is Wendy Beane. 39:48 [SPEAKER_11]: I am a pediatrician, a child of these pediatrician. 39:51 [SPEAKER_11]: And I'm here representing the Maryland chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is a statewide association representing more than 1100 pediatricians and allied health professionals that care for children and promote this help and safety of all the children we serve. 40:09 [SPEAKER_11]: On behalf of M.D.A.A.P., we submit this letter in support of House Bill 974. 40:15 [SPEAKER_11]: Child sexual abuse is heartbreakingly common. 40:18 [SPEAKER_11]: You've heard from other people who testified anywhere from 20 to 25% of women will have been sexually abused at some point during their lives. 40:26 [SPEAKER_11]: That 10% of men will have been sexually abused. 40:30 [SPEAKER_11]: Preventing child sexual abuse requires policies to protect children. 40:34 [SPEAKER_11]: including ways to identify individuals of abuse children in the past and are likely to continue to abuse children. 40:41 [SPEAKER_11]: eliminating the statute of limitations, but in April, the new predators in Maryland to be identified thereby protecting our children. 40:50 [SPEAKER_11]: As you've heard similar bills have uncovered hundreds of hidden predators in other states. 40:55 [SPEAKER_11]: We know from its sense of research that child sexual abuse can have profound, long lasting negative effects. 41:01 [SPEAKER_11]: on children and when they become adults as well. 41:05 [SPEAKER_11]: We know that there are significant mental health effects, depression, anxiety, school failure, inappropriate sexual behavior. 41:13 [SPEAKER_11]: We know that as adults, they have both physical health problems and mental health problems. 41:19 [SPEAKER_11]: They're more likely not eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, drug dependence, chronic abdominal pain or overall health. 41:26 [SPEAKER_11]: women who have been sexually abused, spend more on healthcare costs than women who don't. 41:31 [SPEAKER_11]: Women who have been abused are more likely to have to rely on welfare or income. 41:37 [SPEAKER_11]: We also know that the latest closure is incredibly common and we heard about some of the reasons for that children are threatened children are told they didn't happen they say fear they say shame in my own practice I hear from kids who are disclosing well after the abuse 41:55 [SPEAKER_11]: And I hear from their parents, we're disclosing a fuse for the first time ever. 41:59 [SPEAKER_11]: For all these reasons, it is incredibly important to allow sexual women and men who are sexually abused as children to seek justice for the harm that they've suffered even decades after the abuse has occured. 42:13 [SPEAKER_11]: The these reasons MDAP strongly spared us if had a favorable report. 42:18 [SPEAKER_11]: Thank you. 42:20 [SPEAKER_13]: Hi, my name is Jenna Cochran, and I'm an incest survivor from my stepfather rate to me when I was 13, that abuse started when I was 12. 42:30 [SPEAKER_13]: This is a picture of how old I was. 42:34 [SPEAKER_13]: I am the same age as my daughter is right this moment. 42:37 [SPEAKER_13]: The reason I'm here is because I am 48 years old, and 42:43 [SPEAKER_13]: I still live with this every single day. 42:45 [SPEAKER_13]: I don't get to go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas with my family. 42:50 [SPEAKER_13]: My mom still to this day wants to pretend it didn't exist. 42:55 [SPEAKER_13]: My younger sister Jesse doesn't know even though 43:00 [SPEAKER_13]: At the time, I put my stepfather in prison. 43:03 [SPEAKER_13]: My mother was when we talk about hiding predators. 43:08 [SPEAKER_13]: My mother was the biggest person to making sure that she hid my stepfather. 43:15 [SPEAKER_13]: she was the person who when I was going through trial, put the car in the garage and said that if I did not sign a retraction and go to a notary republic that she would kill herself. 43:30 [SPEAKER_13]: She drilled me to two notary republics dropped me off at a police station and asked me to sign. 43:37 [SPEAKER_13]: She was the person who wound up going across town, wound up leaving the state of New Jersey and going with my stepfather for two years on the run. 43:50 [SPEAKER_13]: To this day, she is also the reason I don't get to go home for Thanksgiving. 43:57 [SPEAKER_13]: If you think that this doesn't affect us for the rest of your lives, it totally does. 44:04 [SPEAKER_13]: I wake up at night all the time. 44:08 [SPEAKER_13]: Even my husband cannot wake me up from a dead sleep because I wake up fighting, because I remember that my stepfather fumbled my breast. 44:18 [SPEAKER_13]: He did, he raped me in the family car. 44:22 [SPEAKER_13]: I cannot ever get those memories out of my brain. 44:26 [SPEAKER_13]: They just don't go away. 44:29 [SPEAKER_13]: I tried to commit suicide when I was in ninth grade. 44:34 [SPEAKER_13]: I just wanted the pain to go away. 44:37 [SPEAKER_13]: For this, I asked you to support this bill. 44:42 [SPEAKER_13]: So many people tried to hide other people. 44:47 [SPEAKER_13]: It shouldn't happen. 44:48 [SPEAKER_13]: It shouldn't happen for my daughter or for anyone else. 44:52 [SPEAKER_13]: Thank you so much for listening to me today. 44:54 [SPEAKER_08]: My name's Dave Lorenz, and I was sexually abused at the age of 16. 45:01 [SPEAKER_08]: My mentor and my friend, who was a priest at the Old Boys High School, he'd been accused 50 times prior to ever showing up at that high school. 45:09 [SPEAKER_08]: And they knew what he was. 45:11 [SPEAKER_08]: I fully expected to take my secret to the grave as one third of all children do. 45:16 [SPEAKER_08]: But for me, at an age of 32, like to the turn, and I was basically forced to tell my family and friends. 45:23 [SPEAKER_08]: And that is when the healing began. 45:25 [SPEAKER_08]: Details of my abuse and recovery can be found in best testimony I've been doing this for since 2007. 45:31 [SPEAKER_08]: You'll find my story and I don't have time to repeat it. 45:35 [SPEAKER_08]: It's ironic and tragic that I was raised in a Catholic school and I received my faith and my values from Catholics, 45:41 [SPEAKER_08]: And yet, as I started to speak up, I found I was being pushed out of that church, and I was being pushed away from my friends and from the Catholic church. 45:50 [SPEAKER_08]: Did you know that only 4% of childhood sexual abuse cases involved in Catholic church? 45:57 [SPEAKER_08]: And yet, they are the ones who insist that we do not pass this legislation. 46:02 [SPEAKER_08]: They are keeping 96% of children who've been abused. 46:06 [SPEAKER_08]: away from the justice. 46:08 [SPEAKER_08]: And I'd like to real quick add a small line about forgiveness. 46:11 [SPEAKER_08]: That's the same time as the coin is positive and forgiveness requires justice. 46:16 [SPEAKER_08]: And this bill will give us justice. 46:19 [SPEAKER_08]: It can't necessarily church will tell you they're doing everything they can to be transparent and to help victims. 46:23 [SPEAKER_08]: But what they don't tell you is they can fire and hide abuse of priests. 46:27 [SPEAKER_08]: And this is still going on. 46:29 [SPEAKER_08]: You can go look at the Pennsylvania Grand Cherry Report and go look at reports from Ireland, France, Australia. 46:34 [SPEAKER_08]: They all showed the same pattern, but people say, oh, that's in the past. 46:39 [SPEAKER_08]: Just Google the Buffalo New York diocese. 46:42 [SPEAKER_08]: It happened just last year that they were still hiding priests up there. 46:48 [SPEAKER_08]: Maryland is not immune to the legislative dirty tactics by the Catholic Church in 2017. 46:51 [SPEAKER_08]: This very assembly was engaged in an effort to sneak un-codified language at the last minute into a bill, reported to help victims of child abuse. 47:01 [SPEAKER_08]: When instead they knew the statute of repose the statute of repose language would do nothing to help victims seek justice. 47:07 [SPEAKER_08]: It did everything to protect the church. 47:09 [SPEAKER_08]: In 20 years of fighting this fight, 20 years of telling my story and asking for help, I 47:18 [SPEAKER_08]: with their track record in Maryland and across the country, I don't know how anyone can possibly believe the churches and tensions are about anything but protecting themselves and their assets assets and not about protecting children. 47:32 [SPEAKER_08]: I'm not here asking you to listen. 47:34 [SPEAKER_08]: I'm here asking you to ask so that we can seek justice for ourselves and thereby give us. 47:40 [SPEAKER_08]: The Catholic Church is trying to stand in my way, trying to say they have a better plan, trying to say that they know what's best for me. 47:47 [SPEAKER_08]: And I don't think you should either. 47:49 [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you. 47:51 [SPEAKER_08]: Are there questions for the panel? 47:54 [SPEAKER_08]: They'll get kind of way ahead below. 47:56 [SPEAKER_07]: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 47:57 [SPEAKER_07]: Thank you, panel. 47:58 [SPEAKER_07]: We're coming in to testify. 48:00 [SPEAKER_07]: The gentleman is just spoke last. 48:01 [SPEAKER_07]: You said you've been testifying on this since 2007? 48:05 [SPEAKER_08]: Yes, sir. 48:06 [SPEAKER_07]: and has been pretty much the same issue or the issue changes. 48:11 [SPEAKER_08]: Well, we've been asking to extend, this is only in the last couple of years that we've gone all as far as saying a lemonade statue on vision. 48:19 [SPEAKER_08]: We were asking for an extension of 20 years ago. 48:21 [SPEAKER_08]: A couple of times, it's gone back and forth between extending it and eliminating it. 48:24 [SPEAKER_08]: But we always had a look back when something that we felt we needed to open the doors of justice to those people who have been left out. 48:31 [SPEAKER_08]: And to expose predators, that's what this is going to do. 48:34 [SPEAKER_08]: It's going to expose predators, and it's like a Wilson said, it's been shown to work in other states. 48:39 [SPEAKER_07]: Thank you very much, we thank you, and all the witnesses today. 48:42 [SPEAKER_08]: I commend you for your courage and telling your stories. 48:45 [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you. 48:48 [SPEAKER_08]: There are further questions for this panel. 48:51 [SPEAKER_08]: Seeing none, I'd been sorry. 48:52 [SPEAKER_08]: Seeing one, delegate cards. 48:55 [SPEAKER_08]: Ruffwick, thank you Mr. Chairman, thank you all for your stories and I just had a quick question for the gentleman's book last. 49:01 [SPEAKER_08]: There is a recent department I just was made aware of yesterday I think that the I see the Harrisburg I think it was filed for bankruptcy at about one year after the same bill passed in Pennsylvania. 49:14 [SPEAKER_08]: My concern is, do you think that there's enough safety net of a protection to make sure that claimants won't be 49:23 [SPEAKER_08]: legitimate process because it might overreach in terms of look back opening up so many potential attacks that 49:30 [SPEAKER_08]: that nobody gets any payout. 49:31 [SPEAKER_08]: There's been approximately about 15 bankruptcy findings around the country because of extensive sexual incation. 49:38 [SPEAKER_08]: Dicis have a bankruptcy. 49:40 [SPEAKER_08]: In none of those cases, where the claimants left out, and in none of those cases, do we find that the charitable works of the church have been reduced? 49:48 [SPEAKER_08]: You got to remember that the cat the charity is primarily publicly funded, anywhere from 80 to 90% and 80% nationally, 49:56 [SPEAKER_08]: 90% of the state of Maryland, so they get most of their funding. 49:59 [SPEAKER_08]: None of the payments were locked out. 50:01 [SPEAKER_08]: And in fact, when the diocese of San Diego filed their bankruptcy, they came in and disclosed their assets of bankruptcy court. 50:11 [SPEAKER_08]: And the bankruptcy court threatened them with, I'm sorry, I lost my mind. 50:16 [SPEAKER_08]: they told them to go back and do it over because they were using of their real estate based on 1960's value. 50:23 [SPEAKER_08]: I'm sorry, they were threatened with content of court. 50:25 [SPEAKER_08]: That's what I was. 50:26 [SPEAKER_08]: Sorry. 50:26 [SPEAKER_08]: But no, once all that was settled down, all of the claimants received all of the as far as I could tell, all the funds, but that's a little bit dark because we don't always have 50:35 [SPEAKER_08]: access into what we into what comes out of bankruptcy court. 50:39 [SPEAKER_08]: In fact, that's one of the reasons the church does file bankruptcy is to keep a lid on the public disclosure of what goes on inside bankruptcy court. 50:49 [SPEAKER_08]: And unfortunately, that kind of thing does either one of the primary goals of what we're trying to do is to hidden predator. 50:56 [SPEAKER_08]: We're trying to with those predators. 50:58 [SPEAKER_08]: And when the church 51:03 [SPEAKER_08]: And that's unfortunate. 51:04 [SPEAKER_08]: But it has never caused, though, if you will, it will, it will run into right. 51:09 [SPEAKER_08]: I don't know. 51:09 [SPEAKER_08]: If that's a quote, I don't know if I answered your question. 51:11 [SPEAKER_08]: Well, I'll just agree with you. 51:12 [SPEAKER_08]: I'm worried. 51:13 [SPEAKER_08]: That's what this will do. 51:14 [SPEAKER_08]: It could create an, you know, increase the number of those, it was just based on what I just was told. 51:20 [SPEAKER_08]: It increased the number of what? 51:22 [SPEAKER_08]: Microchise. 51:22 [SPEAKER_08]: And there have been bankruptcies. 51:24 [SPEAKER_08]: And it's never caused a problem. 51:26 [SPEAKER_08]: Okay. 51:26 [SPEAKER_08]: Thanks. 51:27 [SPEAKER_11]: May I have the bankruptcy just allows for reorganization. 51:33 [SPEAKER_11]: organizations out of business. 51:39 [SPEAKER_08]: Further questions for the panel. 51:41 [SPEAKER_08]: Seeing none. 51:42 [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you all very much. 51:43 [SPEAKER_09]: Please show Langle. 51:44 [SPEAKER_08]: Kurt Rupert. 51:47 [SPEAKER_08]: Gene Wainer. 51:50 [SPEAKER_14]: Good afternoon. 51:51 [SPEAKER_14]: My name is Kurt Rupert. 51:53 [SPEAKER_14]: From far so Maryland. 51:54 [SPEAKER_14]: And I am here as a survivor of child-collect sexual abuse. 51:58 [SPEAKER_14]: She state my support for the hidden predator. 52:01 [SPEAKER_14]: I was born in Salzburg, Maryland in 1970. 52:04 [SPEAKER_14]: I grew up attending church actively participating and receiving my childhood sacraments. 52:09 [SPEAKER_14]: I had Saint Francis to sales parish in Salzburg. 52:13 [SPEAKER_14]: It wasn't Salzburg in 1979, but I was cramed, sexually molested, and physically assaulted, my father Joseph A. 52:21 [SPEAKER_14]: My God. 52:23 [SPEAKER_14]: I've testified previously to this committee in detail to the trauma I suffered as a terrified dine real boy, and the agonizing mental and physical damage I have endured my entire life since those events. 52:36 [SPEAKER_14]: Today, I'm here to really to speak for others from my generation who suffered sexual abuse at St. Francis sales. 52:42 [SPEAKER_14]: They continue to suffer in silence, and I'm humble they have reached out to me to speak for them. 52:47 [SPEAKER_14]: Please understand that what's significantly help to seal our aches with that we were children of the diocese of Wilmington who lived in Merrill, not Delaware. 52:56 [SPEAKER_14]: The basis of the diocese of Wilmington are well documented, 85% of their parishes had guarded her priests, bishops and leadership in Wilmington conspired and covered the abuses as long as they could, until 2007 when Delaware passed Hessellow Reforms which included a little back window for victims. 53:14 [SPEAKER_14]: In Maryland as past childhood abuse survivors, we still wait because of abuse, we suffered at the hands of that same institution occurred in Southbury, six miles on the other side of the state line. 53:25 [SPEAKER_14]: Most inferiority is the document of knowledge, which was brought to light only because discovery was required. 53:32 [SPEAKER_14]: by the Delaware reforms which I previously mentioned. 53:35 [SPEAKER_14]: The knowledge of a die-sease explicit strategy was to avoid exposure within Delaware by concentrating the predator-preased assignments within the Maryland parishes. 53:45 [SPEAKER_14]: Wilmington conducted this program with the knowledge and participation of elements of Delaware law enforcement. 53:51 [SPEAKER_14]: that even sent their abusing priest to the occasional treatment or rust Maryland facilities. 53:59 [SPEAKER_14]: The numbers proved as dark reality. 54:00 [SPEAKER_14]: The parishes in Delaware contain 79% of the diocese members and average 2.4 predator priest assignments per parish. 54:08 [SPEAKER_14]: In Maryland, which contained only 21% of the diocese members, parish average was 7 predator priest assignments per parish. 54:16 [SPEAKER_14]: The 59 pair of shoes in the die-sees, the one with by far the highest number of predator priest assignments, was, safe Francis to sail themselves, very. 54:24 [SPEAKER_14]: Two of its bastards, fathers, wind, and Irwin, were themselves of users and considered predator mentors, the younger abuse of priests, which were so frequently assigned to their supervision. 54:36 [SPEAKER_14]: Please know, I do not hate the Catholic Church. 54:39 [SPEAKER_14]: Because of my wounds, I can no longer attend church. 54:42 [SPEAKER_14]: My family. 54:44 [SPEAKER_14]: I understand the church now is truly made of the people who are my family and friends. 54:49 [SPEAKER_14]: Countless volunteers, teachers, counselors, caregivers, and many clergy who have my friendship and respect. 54:57 [SPEAKER_14]: All of those people support me and support this ill. 55:02 [SPEAKER_14]: Pelsfield, 1974, is for Paul our citizens. 55:06 [SPEAKER_14]: No single institution of any kind deserves the power to deny this protection to those of us who are damaged and to our children when they are at their most vulnerable. 55:17 [SPEAKER_14]: With all my heart, I implore you to support this bill. 55:20 [SPEAKER_14]: Thank you. 55:27 [SPEAKER_18]: Thank you for inviting me here today. 55:30 [SPEAKER_18]: My name is Jean-Hargette and Rainer. 55:32 [SPEAKER_18]: I'm here in support of all victims of childhood sexual abuse myself included. 55:37 [SPEAKER_18]: I was sexually abused and raped at Arts Bishop K.O. 55:40 [SPEAKER_18]: High School between the years of 1967 and 1971. 55:45 [SPEAKER_18]: My father Joseph Maskel and others. 55:48 [SPEAKER_18]: Accomplices to these crimes are the institutions that betrayed their trusting faith communities by allowing their children to be left in harm's way. 55:57 [SPEAKER_18]: The trauma I endured during those years was so great that in order to survive, I had to sever from that young victim and bury her deep within my subconscious. 56:07 [SPEAKER_18]: In spring of 1992, at 38, the age of the current statute of limitations, I felt as if a 14-year-old girl set down next to me and said, I had something to tell you. 56:18 [SPEAKER_18]: I then began throwing up memories. 56:22 [SPEAKER_18]: These repressed memories that continue to surface and be worked onto this day may be triggered by a photo, a smell or a place. 56:31 [SPEAKER_18]: These disgustingly detailed images and thoughts do not present themselves in a chronological fashion. 56:37 [SPEAKER_18]: As the memory unfolds, I feel multiple levels that I am going through that horrible experience for the very first time. 56:44 [SPEAKER_18]: Late in 92, later in 92, I had a number of meetings with the church representatives. 56:50 [SPEAKER_18]: At two of those meetings, I gave formal statements. 56:54 [SPEAKER_18]: After the first one, Joseph Mass School, who was in his 50s, not a feeble old man, was removed from his parish and sent free valuation. 57:04 [SPEAKER_18]: In 1994, I agreed to follow suit, a civil suit against Joseph Maskell, the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the school sisters of Notre Dame with Teresa Lancaster. 57:15 [SPEAKER_18]: I was Jane Doe, she was Jane Row. 57:18 [SPEAKER_18]: I said yes, not to bankrupt the Catholic Church. 57:22 [SPEAKER_18]: But because my school had returned to work as a pastor to a neighboring parish, I was upset that he was around kids in the thought that he was in the area, and knew that I had told the secret terrified me. 57:35 [SPEAKER_18]: I had visions of him shooting me with the gun he threatened me with at Kio. 57:40 [SPEAKER_18]: Another reason was that the statute limitations in 1971, which we were bound by, stated we had a report abuse within three years of it ending. 57:50 [SPEAKER_18]: I couldn't imagine I was expected to report something I didn't even remember. 57:54 [SPEAKER_18]: I believed I was still in a permissible timeframe. 57:58 [SPEAKER_18]: We lost the case in 1995 due to the court's decision that repress memories were not scientifically driven, keeping the statute of limitations intact. 58:09 [SPEAKER_18]: As victims, we need to know that perpetrators will be held accountable and found out if not their threats that no one will believe us or that where liars are reinforced. 58:21 [SPEAKER_18]: This decision undermined me and many others, our health progress was deteriorated because of this decision for years. 58:32 [SPEAKER_18]: It sent us back into hiding. 58:35 [SPEAKER_18]: Because the science behind the effects trauma has on the brain has grown, and repressed memories have become accepted, I think having a statute of limitations imposed on victims of childhood sexual abuse is not fair to the victims, while it does benefit the perpetrators. 59:00 [SPEAKER_08]: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. 59:01 [SPEAKER_08]: I'm Colby Little, represent the Maryland State Conference of the end of the LACP. 59:07 [SPEAKER_08]: There was a committee I'm here in my capacity as a good latch from Chair and Vice President of the State Conference, but I'm also here as a faint leader. 59:18 [SPEAKER_08]: My heart goes out to those who have given their testimony. 59:22 [SPEAKER_08]: I pray peace. 59:27 [SPEAKER_08]: The NAACP was founded at a time when people had power abused their power, and did great harm to vulnerable populations. 59:37 [SPEAKER_08]: At our core, we are a justice organization, and we support House Bill 974. 59:46 [SPEAKER_08]: Jesus taught his disciples on a Christian. 59:49 [SPEAKER_08]: Jesus taught his disciples to allow the children to come. 59:55 [SPEAKER_08]: And he told them that they ought not deny the children. 60:01 [SPEAKER_08]: This past Sunday I was in service sharing the gospel that St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Harlem. 60:10 [SPEAKER_09]: And the legendary reading said, hurry, make right what you have done wrong with your neighbor. 60:25 [SPEAKER_08]: I share this with you because there is no faith leader, there is no representative of a faith institution who are in good faith, they are sit at this table and tell you that there are good reasons that the faith community has for denying the passage of this bill which would extend the statute of limitation. 60:51 [SPEAKER_08]: We pray that you're not only not in agreement and compassion with the people who have testified, but that you take action to make them whole. 61:00 [SPEAKER_09]: Thank you. 61:09 [SPEAKER_17]: Start with a quote from Albert Einstein. 61:12 [SPEAKER_17]: The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. 61:19 [SPEAKER_17]: My name is Kate Conners and I'm a clinical social worker and the trauma therapist and I've been doing this work for over 35 years. 61:27 [SPEAKER_17]: I am on faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. 61:33 [SPEAKER_17]: And I am testifying today related to the hidden creditor bill because it is essential for justice and healing for their survivors of child sexual abuse. 61:49 [SPEAKER_17]: along with creating safety for the survivor and potential future victims. 61:55 [SPEAKER_17]: Child sexual abuse is the sexual victimization of a child by an adult or an older child, and it is frequently accompanied as we have heard by the brave and courageous survivors today by coercion, threats and force, and it can include a range of sexual acts. 62:14 [SPEAKER_17]: Child Sexual Abuse is a worldwide public health problem that occurs in all communities, in all groups, socioeconomic groups, educational, racial, and ethnic groups. 62:27 [SPEAKER_17]: Due to its hidden nature and the frequent absence of physical evidence, child sexual abuse often goes undetected and undisclosed. 62:38 [SPEAKER_17]: as Dr. Lane already testified, traumatic stress and adversity in childhood has great impact on the overall health and well-being of individuals, including and very specifically I'm going to talk about the impact of mental health. 62:56 [SPEAKER_17]: Child sexual abuse is known to be associated with having two or more co-occurring mental health disorders, including ADHD post traumatic stress disorder depression, addictions and impulse control problems. 63:12 [SPEAKER_17]: child sexual abuse is also known to be associated with some of the most serious mental health problems that individuals and our society space, including suicide and psychosis. 63:23 [SPEAKER_17]: Adolescence and young people who have experienced child sexual abuse are at higher risk of developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. 63:32 [SPEAKER_17]: For example, researchers found that sexual abuse before the age of 16 63:41 [SPEAKER_17]: The symptoms are most difficult for people with child sexual abuse histories. 63:48 [SPEAKER_17]: They're impairing and distressing symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions. 63:54 [SPEAKER_17]: This may be a part of the hypervisulance and the thinking pattern that child sexual abuse survivors need to use to cope while living in unsafe and psychologically dampening. 64:04 [SPEAKER_17]: damaging situations. 64:06 [SPEAKER_17]: The last point I'd like to make is about the point of disclosure. 64:09 [SPEAKER_17]: So the psychological impact of trauma, both the post-traumatic stress disorder, symptoms, that include avoiding thinking about, remembering and talking about sexual abuse, because it is frightening and overwhelmingly painful, are quite common. 64:27 [SPEAKER_17]: In addition, there are fears of reprisals, including not being listened to or believed by authority figures, and these are all things that impact the delays in disclosure of child sexual abuse. 64:42 [SPEAKER_03]: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. 64:44 [SPEAKER_03]: My name is Felicia Lane Gail. 64:46 [SPEAKER_03]: I am a student in the Public Health Law Clinic at the University Maryland Law School. 64:51 [SPEAKER_03]: I am here in support of House Bill 974. 64:54 [SPEAKER_03]: And I will address repealing the statute of repose to Section 5117 of the Maryland Code. 65:00 [SPEAKER_03]: A statute of repose is traditionally used in product liability in product defects cases, instruction defects cases, a state cases, and medical malpractice. 65:10 [SPEAKER_03]: Purpose of a statute of proposals to prevent unpredictability for industry, and to protect insurers' ability to predict future claims. 65:19 [SPEAKER_03]: Section 5117, however, put a statute of imposing place for child sexual abuse. 65:25 [SPEAKER_03]: This mechanism is inappropriate for legal and public policy reasons. 65:29 [SPEAKER_03]: First, on average, survivors of child sexual abuse do not disclose their injury until age 52 long after the statute has run. 65:37 [SPEAKER_03]: Second, the Maryland courts have been unwilling to rule on immunity for time-barred claims in cases of child sexual abuse without clear legislative intent. 65:47 [SPEAKER_03]: And third, the legislature never intended to grant permanent immunity from civil liability for sexual predators or the institutions that shelter them. 65:56 [SPEAKER_03]: Moreover, the unqualified, totaling language of 20 years passed the age of majority is inconsistent with a statute of repose. 66:04 [SPEAKER_03]: This is statute of limitations language. 66:07 [SPEAKER_03]: No other jurisdiction has instituted a statute of repose and the context of intentional acts like interpersonal violence. 66:15 [SPEAKER_03]: Repealing a statute of repose from Section 5117 will give survivors of child sexual abuse access to legal remedy for the otherwise would not have. 66:26 [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you, Mr. 66:27 [SPEAKER_04]: Chair, Madam Vice Chair and members of the committee. 66:29 [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you for allowing me to have a speak today. 66:32 [SPEAKER_04]: I'm Sarah Conway, along the time resident of Annapolis and a survivor of sexual abuse by teachers at the key school here in town. 66:42 [SPEAKER_04]: Last year, Baltimore firm retained by key completed an independent investigation and found that 10 people in the positions of authority exploited 16 students, and even more importantly, they concluded that all but one of these cases. 67:02 [SPEAKER_04]: Others in the school community, including faculty, staff, administrators, and board members were aware of the abuse and chose to remain silent and not report it. 67:13 [SPEAKER_04]: In my case, I was 14 when two teachers singled the out for special attention after creating a bond, gaining my trust and affection over many months. 67:23 [SPEAKER_04]: The sexual abuse started and lasted for more than a year. 67:30 [SPEAKER_04]: because coming forward is difficult. 67:33 [SPEAKER_04]: And even when survivors report here in Maryland in the past and now it does not assure justice. 67:41 [SPEAKER_04]: Civil statute of limitations expired for me when I was 21. 67:45 [SPEAKER_04]: I still have at that point few words for the pain and confusion that I felt. 67:54 [SPEAKER_04]: My parents were devastated and tried to take action 68:01 [SPEAKER_04]: And when my mother consulted the Animal County State's attorney, he strongly diswated her from contacting along for some of it. 68:10 [SPEAKER_04]: With nowhere to turn, my parents suffered terribly and soon separated. 68:18 [SPEAKER_04]: In 1993, key school honored one of its most prolific abusers with a memorial service. 68:28 [SPEAKER_04]: Memorial Service, many of the attendees were key teachers and administrators. 68:33 [SPEAKER_04]: When I stood up and shared my story of abuse, I was met with silence and later victim blaming. 68:40 [SPEAKER_04]: The head of the school asked me to keep it quiet and denied that the school had any institutional responsibility. 68:48 [SPEAKER_04]: In 1997, I gave a detailed accounting of my abuse and how common it was at the school 68:58 [SPEAKER_04]: In 2018, I was interviewed again. 69:01 [SPEAKER_04]: And many who are arguing against this bill will say, there's no statute of limitations on felonies in Maryland. 69:10 [SPEAKER_04]: But when I was 14, I was penetrated in every which way by my teacher who lives in an rental county still. 69:22 [SPEAKER_04]: Yet I continue to be told by law enforcement 69:25 [SPEAKER_04]: that they cannot proceed because they are unsure whether those acts were felony crimes at the time. 69:34 [SPEAKER_04]: So, you may say that there's no such limitations on felonies, but in and practice that nothing happens. 69:43 [SPEAKER_04]: Being turned away, silenced and shamed by the school and law enforcement is the very definition of institutional betrayal, research shows and magnifies the harm caused 69:58 [SPEAKER_04]: It increases anxiety, PTSD symptoms, sexual dysfunction and dissociation. 70:04 [SPEAKER_04]: If institutions are causing real, measurable harm, not only by allowing the abuse to occur, but by silencing its victims, why shouldn't victims be empowered with a look back window to hold them accountable for that harm? 70:21 [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you. 70:22 [SPEAKER_07]: I will support HP, 7, 9, 7, 4, 8, 9, 7, 4, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9 70:50 [SPEAKER_18]: person that you described was a pre-set based at the school yes yes he was a chaplain and the chaplain had a gun yes he did he put the gun to my temple after taking the bullets out and when he pulled the trigger he said if my father were found out I was pouring around that he would do it but keep the bullet 71:19 [SPEAKER_08]: Seeing none, thank you all very much for testifying good today.
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