(Radio Iowa) – Iowa lawmakers rushedg to pass a bill that will help hundreds of Iowans get a full payment from a legal settlement for victims who were abused by Boy Scout leaders.

That’s Representative Ann Meyer, a Republican from Fort Dodge. She says the bill provides an exemption to the Iowa law that requires child sex abuse victims to file lawsuits by the time they reach the age of 19 — or within four years of when they realized they’d been abused.

Representative Timi Brown-Powers, a Democrat from Waterloo, says hundreds of Iowa men who were victimized are counting on the legislature to act and she used to work with one of them.

The governor signed the bill into law today (Friday). It passed the Senate unanimously 10 days ago. The House passed the bill today (Friday) on a 90 to one vote, but House members made an adjustment to the bill. Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says the change makes the legislature’s intent clear.

Thomson says without the change, there was a good chance someone would sue to block the bill from becoming law. In a statement, Gov. Reynolds said Friday, “Those who were sexually abused while in Boy Scouts should have the ability to receive the greatest amount of compensation available. Even after an initial disclosure, it may take many more years before a victim is willing to file a legal action in a public court proceeding. We should not stand in the way of these survivors receiving their justified compensation. I am proud to sign this bill and I hope it brings some sense of justice and closure.”