HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's Legislature is closer to settling a years-long battle over lifting criminal and civil statutes for child sexual abuse crimes in a debate growing out of Roman Catholic Church scandals.

The Republican-controlled state Senate on Wednesday night rejected efforts to temporarily dissolve time limits in state law that bar now-adult victims of child sexual abuse from suing their abusers and institutions that may have covered it up.

Instead, the Senate approved a bill beginning the multi-year process of seeking to amend Pennsylvania's Constitution to allow a two-year window for lawsuits to be filed by now-adult victims who are barred by law from suing.

Senators also passed a measure relaxing criminal and civil statutes of limitations in sexual abuse cases where children and young adults are the victims.

The House has previously approved the bills' core elements.

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled that a man charged with distributing child pornography does not have to tell police his computer password.The court’s 4-3 decision Wednesday reaffirms the right to remain silent and acknowledges the difficulty of building cases when police confront sophisticated encryption services and other technology.Defendant Joseph Davis was arrested in 2015 on the charges. He has been in the Luzerne County Jail for four years while lawyers litigate the issue before trial.Justice Debra Todd writes that authorities cannot force people to “unlock the safe” in their minds to potentially incriminating evidence.The state Attorney General’s Office could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the issue. A message seeking comment was left with the office Wednesday.