A bill that would limit the amount of money the Maryland government has to pay out to victims of alleged child sexual abuse passed the House Thursday afternoon by a vote of 100-32.

The legislation has been the center of controversy after the state cast off the statute of limitations to sue abusers less than two years ago.

The bill limits the payouts of what survivors can receive from public institutions from $890,00 to $400,000

It limits the cap on private institutions from $1.5 million to $700,000.

The bill comes as Maryland expects as many as 4,500 cases from people who were abused at publicly owned facilities like juvenile justice centers.

That coincides with the state facing a budget deficit of $3 billion in 2026 and one that could be larger in years ahead.

“None of us wants to be a yes on a bill like this,” said Del. David Moon (D-Montgomery County), a member of the Judiciary Committee. “I wish we had listened potentially to some of the wisdom of some of the colleagues that flagged questions about potential state liability.”

The move is a blow to assault survivor advocates who worked for decades to pass the Child Victims Act.

David Lorenz, an advocate for the Survivors Network of those Abuse by Priests, said he doesn’t understand why the state needs to limit private institutions’ payouts as well.

“I’m not happy about it, but there are reasons why the state limits its liability. If state can't pay it, so other things have to give,” Lorenz said. “Private institutions, they can declare bankruptcy, and the fact that they lowered the cap from $1.5 million to $700,000 is totally bogus.”

The bill still needs to pass the Senate and get a signature from the governor to make it into law.