Albany Lawmakers Pledge to Prioritize Survivors of Child Sex Abuse

NEW YORK, NY (12/13/2018) (readMedia)-- Yesterday, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the Child Victims Act (CVA) will be a priority this upcoming legislative session. The Assembly has already twice passed the bill with bi-partisan support in previous years. The incoming Senate Majority is also committed to the CVA, having campaigned on the issue throughout the election season and won, in large part thanks to overwhelming public support for it. The legislation - which would extend the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sex abuse - has faced previous opposition in the Republican controlled Senate where it has languished for 13 years.

In response, Michael Polenberg, VP of Government Affairs of Safe Horizon, issued the following statement:

"The State Assembly and the new Senate Majority are both outstanding allies and we expect the Governor to work with them to pass the Child Victims Act. It's time for New York State to finally prioritize survivors over the people and institutions that abuse them."

Background

The Child Victims Act (CVA) would bring meaningful statute of limitations (SOL) reform for survivors of childhood sex abuse, allowing them to hold their abusers accountable in court. Currently, the 5-year statute of limitations means that survivors of certain kinds of childhood abuse have only until the age of 23 to bring charges. The bill has been routinely opposed by Senate Republicans, the Catholic Church, and the Boy Scouts of America.

The CVA would do the following:

· Increase the criminal statute of limitations prospectively;

· Increase the civil statute of limitations prospectively;

· Remove special protections for public institutions that have acted as a shield against liability; and

· Create a one-year look-back window to allow survivors with expired claims to go to court.