This bill amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to encourage States to remove time limits that stop many child sexual abuse cases from being pursued. It adds state elimination of civil and criminal statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse, exploitation, and sex trafficking to a list of reforms tied to CAPTA funding. The bill lets the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) give grants to States that do one or more of three things: remove civil time limits for child sexual abuse claims; remove criminal time limits for child sex crimes (including related attempts or conspiracies); and reopen previously time-barred civil claims for a new period (at minimum a 2-year window or until a victim turns 55, whichever is longer). The bill also clarifies that “child sexual abuse and exploitation” can include acts or failures to act by a parent, caretaker, or other person. It sets how grant funds are split among States based on how many reforms they adopt and authorizes money for those grants. The bill makes a minor technical correction to a cross-reference in the Victims of Crime Act.
If your State seeks CAPTA-related grant money, it can apply for additional HHS grants by passing laws that remove civil or criminal time limits for child sexual abuse or by creating a revival window for old civil claims. The revival option in the bill would let some previously time-barred civil claims be filed during a new period set by law: at least a 2-year period or until the claimant reaches age 55, whichever is longer. The bill sets rules for which States get portions of the new grant funds based on how many of the three reforms they adopt.
The bill authorizes $20,000,000 per year for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2033 to carry out the grant program. Of funds available under this section, 25 percent are for States that adopt one reform, 35 percent for States that adopt two reforms, and 40 percent for States that adopt all three reforms. No publicly available information on other federal costs or budget impacts is included in the bill text.
The bill text includes findings that child sexual abuse is common and often hidden, that many victims do not report abuse for years, and that existing State statutes of limitations often prevent victims from seeking civil or criminal remedies. The bill frames removal of time limits and revival of claims as ways to give victims more time to come forward and to hold perpetrators accountable.
No publicly available information.