Iowa

Iowa Senate OKs bill helping Boy Scout sex abuse survivors recoup more money in settlement

Published

1 month ago

April 9, 2024

Iowa Senate OKs bill helping Boy Scout sex abuse survivors recoup more money in settlement

Iowa Boy Scouts who were sexually abused as children will be able to recover more money through a national bankruptcy settlement under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate.

The Senate voted 46-0 Tuesday to pass Senate File 2431, sending it to the House for consideration.

“Although it’s not going to be able to take away the true pain that happened years ago, hopefully this will give a little bit of relief to their lives going forward,” said Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, the bill’s floor manager.

Hundreds of Iowans are part of a national 2020 bankruptcy settlement agreement with the Boy Scouts of America, which designates a $2.46 billion fund to settle decades of sexual abuse cases from over 82,000 victims who were abused by Boy Scout troop leaders.

But because of Iowa’s strict statute of limitations, former Boy Scouts from Iowa are at risk of losing out on millions of dollars unless the state changes its law.

The legislation removes the statute of limitations for claims related to child sexual abuse only for people who are part of the 2020 bankruptcy settlement.

More: Iowa looks to change statute of limitations law to help Boy Scout sexual abuse survivors

Without the law change, Iowans would be at a disadvantage because the settlement uses a matrix of factors to determine how much victims can be paid. They include how much abuse the victim suffered, how long it lasted and the state’s statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims.

Iowa’s statute of limitations on civil claims requires child sexual abuse victims to file suit by the time they turn 19. Or, if the abuse is discovered after the victim becomes an adult, the claim must be filed within four years of when they make the connection between their abuse and their injuries.

Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said the bill will prevent Iowa abuse survivors from being financially penalized simply because their abuse occurred in Iowa.

“I also want to thank all of the Iowans who I know are listening — I’m hearing them on my phone — who shared their stories with lawmakers, painful stories, requesting our help to prevent a system that failed to protect them as children from harming them again as grown-ups,” she said.

More: Iowa sex abuse victim in Boy Scouts case could be among hundreds shortchanged by state law

The bill passed Tuesday by the Senate only applies to people who are part of the Boy Scouts of America settlement. It does not change the current civil statute of limitations law for other survivors of child sexual abuse.

In 2021, Iowa lawmakers removed the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges in child sexual abuse cases, but left in place the strict limit on civil lawsuits.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

Iowa Park vs Jacksboro – Regional Quarterfinals, game 1

Published

5 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Iowa Park vs Jacksboro – Regional Quarterfinals, game 1

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – The Jacksboro Tigers and the Iowa Park Hawks meet every year in regular district play. This year they meet again with the chance to go to the regional semifinals.

Game one was held at Hoskins field in Wichita Falls on Friday night. Both starting pitchers had great games that kept the score tied at zero through five innings.

Jacksboro would eventually score first in the fifth inning and never look back.

The Tigers get the win, 5-0. Game two is Saturday at 2pm in Graham.

Source link

Iowa

HEAT team brings added manpower to law enforcement agencies in NW Iowa, SW Minnesota

Published

12 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

HEAT team brings added manpower to law enforcement agencies in NW Iowa, SW Minnesota

IOWA GREAT LAKES (KTIV) – Much of Northwest Iowa is made up of smaller, rural communities. Many of those came together to create a SWAT unit, in a partnership that’s lasted decades.

The High-Risk Entry and Arrest Team, or HEAT, is made up of law enforcement officers from 28 agencies, including 11 sheriff’s offices and 17 police departments. The team covers nearly 6,500 square miles across 12 counties in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, serving nearly 132,000 people. Averaging between 6 and 12 calls per year, the team is called in whenever necessary.

The High Risk Entry and Arrest Team, or HEAT, is made up of law enforcement officers from 28 agencies, including 11 sheriff’s offices and 17 police departments.(KTIV)

It’s a partnership that was created in the 90s to ensure no matter the incident, trained and skilled officers would be ready to serve at a moments notice.

“The chiefs and sheriffs of the region got together and knew that they couldn’t support a tactical team on their own,” said HEAT Commander Todd Schillinger, also an officer with the Arnolds Park Police Department. “So they pooled their resources, which was a great idea. And that just happened to happen in northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota. You get across that state lines, but all those things were taken care of back in the late 90s. The team went operational in 1999. And we’ve been going and growing since then.”

Schillinger helps coordinate coverage when a department needs the assistance on a call.

“They can range from high-risk arrest warrants to barricaded suspects, high-risk drug warrants, anything that the agencies aren’t either equipped or have the manpower or the training for, we act as that support unit,” he explained. “Without that, without that support team, I don’t know. You just couldn’t pull that many trained people in with specialty equipment with the smaller departments.”

Schillinger says having a close relationship with so many different agencies in the region has been a big benefit for not only the fellow officers, but their communities as well.

Source link