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6/18/2025
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House passes ‘Annie’s Bill’ that holds child sexual abusers accountable
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STATE HOUSE – The House passed legislation known as “Annie’s Bill,” sponsored by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, which would close a loophole in current law that allows sexual predators of children, and those that protect them, to be held civilly accountable to victims.
Representative McEntee introduced this bill due to her own personal family connection to childhood sexual abuse. Over the last several legislative sessions, Representative McEntee has accompanied her older sister, Dr. Ann Hagan Webb, to testify in favor of the legislation. Representative McEntee has referred to the legislation as “Annie’s Bill” due to her sister’s advocacy for the bill.
“I’ve tried for a long time to secure some form of justice for my dear sister and other victims of childhood sexual abuse and I am so grateful that this day of accountability is one step closer,” said Representative McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett). “Sexual abusers of children, and those who protect these disgusting predators, should not be able to hide behind statutes of limitations or other time delaying tactics to avoid liability for these perverse and evil crimes. Victims of these attacks live with their assaults for their entire lives, and any individual or organization that willingly allowed or turned a blind eye to these crimes needs to be held accountable. This bill is about delivering justice, no matter how long it takes, and it would not be possible without the bravery of my sister Annie and the other victims who have courageously shared their heartbreaking stories in order to advocate for this bill’s passage.”
Dr. Webb has recounted her own experiences being a young survivor of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of the family parish priest. Representative McEntee’s sister, now a psychologist specializing in counseling adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, has detailed how often it takes years, if not decades, for victims of childhood sexual assault to not only come to terms with their abuse, but also to find the strength to come forward, to name their abuser, and seek justice for the crimes perpetrated against their innocence and youth.
Dr. Webb has also explained that because of the complex and often long healing process in regards to these crimes, many abusers are not only never charged criminally, but they also are shielded by statutes of limitations from having to answer for their crimes in a civil manner.
The legislation (2025-H 5909A) would amend what is considered sexual abuse for purposes of limitations on actions based on sexual abuse or exploitation of a child and would amend the provisions for when a cause of action may be brought.
More specifically, it adds negligent supervision of a person that sexually abused a minor, or that the defendant's conduct caused or contributed to the childhood sexual abuse by another person, such as wrongful conduct, negligence or default in supervision, hiring, employment, training, monitoring, or failure to report and/or the concealment of sexual abuse of a child to those that could be held civilly liable.
The legislation would be retroactive up to 53 years of age, with a two-year revival window of action beginning on July 1, 2025, and ending on June 30, 2027.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration, where Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham) has introduced similar legislation (2025-S 0739).
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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