Bish foundation urges passage of "Molly's Bill"

BOSTON (WWLP) - The Legislature will recess for the summer in August, so advocates have until July 31 to convince lawmakers to take up their legislation or else it dies this session.

Several citizen groups rallied outside the State House Wednesday, demanding that lawmakers debate a number of bills that aim to fight crime and sexual assault.

People from the Molly Bish Foundation asked lawmakers to take up “ Molly’s Bill,” which would require Massachusetts drivers to have easy-to-identify license plates that contain symbols such as hearts and diamonds.

Ten years ago, Molly Bish was abducted from Comins Pond in Warren and murdered. Her remains were found years later in Palmer. Her mother, Magi Bish, believes that she saw a suspicious car the morning Molly disappeared.

Molly’s sister Heather Bish is active with the Molly Bish Center . She says that this bill is about the memory of her sister, but it’s also more than that.

“I’m doing this for my sister, my daughter, my friend’s children, I’m doing this for my community. I would never want another family to experience what we’ve experienced. And we’re here today to ask our legislators to please vote Molly’s Bill through before the session closes,” Bish said.

Advocates also called on lawmakers to take up a bill that eliminates the time limit by which sex abuse survivors must bring their perpetrators to court – what’s called the statute of limitations.

Currently, alleged child abusers can be brought to court 27 years past a victim’s 16th birthday, or from when the sex crime was first reported.