LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — As a young child all the way through college at the University of Oklahoma, gymnastics was McKenzie Wofford’s life.
"Started at the age of 3 years old, got competitive pretty quick, doing 40 hours a week by age 10,” Wofford said.
She spent years training at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas, a former USA gymnastics training center where Larry Nassar often worked with young gymnasts.
“(It) was kind of like my second home, unfortunately,” Wofford said. "I experienced sexual assault there and didn’t come to terms with it for a while and when everyone started coming out with stuff, I was in denial.”
After Nassar’s trial unfolded in a Michigan court room, the state passed reforms on its statute of limitations. Still today, Michigan lawmakers say it didn’t go far enough.
“Our statute of limitations for criminal sexual conduct is among the narrowest in the entire country,” state Rep. Julie Brixie, D-Meridian Township, said. "We're the only state that restricted access to justice based on the occupation of the abuser rather than the crime that occurred.”
Brixie is proposing new legislation that would raise the age minors are able to come forward from age 28 — where it stands today — to age 52. It was raised from 24 to 28 back in 2018.
She says she was inspired by not only survivors of Nassar, but survivors of Dr. Robert Anderson at the University of Michigan.
“Survivors shouldn't have to hire a lobbyist and pass legislation to seek justice in the courts," Brixie said. "Everybody — no matter who their abuser is — should have access to our justice system, and that’s exactly what this bill package does.”
According to Child USA, 52 is the average age survivors of sexual abuse come forward. It's something attorneys like Jessica Glynn see firsthand. She has represented many survivors who suffered abuse as children and come forward later as adults.
"It’s revictimizating a survivor a second time," Glynn said of when statute of limitations runs out on victims. "That is what our criminal justice system does repeatedly to victims of sexual abuse.”
Brixie has introduced similar legislation before that didn’t pass. She and many survivors hope this year will be the right time.
“It hits home because if I would've been maybe cut off from things because it was too late for me to come out, it would have been pretty disappointing," Wofford said. "Just invalidating to know, oh well, it did happen to me, but it's too late to come out now, so why would I.'”
This package of nine bills will be announced in a press conference Thursday morning in Lansing. Three of the bills are to establish a survivors bill of rights.
