Bill to make priests report abuse put on hold in California

State Sen. Jerry Hill, a Democrat from San Mateo, wrote a bill this year to change that, but only if the confession was from another religious leader or someone who works at the church. It passed the Senate by a vote of 30-4 in May.

On Tuesday, Hill announced he was putting the bill on hold because it did not have enough support to pass the state Assembly. But Hill said the issue remains important to him, and he vowed to continue his efforts to pass it.

"Senate Bill 360 has one purpose only, not to restrict faith, but to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable of the faithful: children," Hill said in a news release. "I strongly believe that for any institution self-policing and self-investigation are not effective ways to combat alleged abuse, as our own state Legislature has found."

The state Legislature recently reformed how it investigates sexual misconduct claims against its own members after facing intense criticism.

The Catholic Conference of California had opposed the bill. The organization gave written comments to the legislature saying the church "agrees with the general principle that all youth should be protected from sexual abuse."

But the conference added everyone has "the right to confess sins anonymously and confidentially," saying the bill would deny that right to thousands of the church's employees "based solely upon their particular religious a...

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