HELENA — Montana lawmakers are proposing a bipartisan bill that would end the statute of limitations for prosecuting sex crimes committed against children and extend the window for filing civil lawsuits against the perpetrator or others.
Members of the state House Judiciary Committee say the proposal is a compromise that combines the intentions of three other bills.
The committee voted Wednesday to introduce the bill, which will go through a legal review, followed by a hearing.
Republican Rep. Bill Mercer says the bill requires county attorneys to report to the attorney general information about child sexual abuse investigations and prosecutions. He says that information will help lawmakers understand the scope of the problem and the government’s response to such reports.