NY lawmakers to pass Child Victims Act on Monday

Victims of child sexual abuse in New York will soon get their chance to seek civil justice against their abusers and the institutions that harbored them regardless of how long ago the crimes occurred.

The state Legislature on Monday is set to approve the Child Victims Act, a long-stalled measure that will relax the state's strict statute of limitations on sexual crimes against children and open up a one-year window to revive past claims of any age.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to soon sign the measure; he and the bill's sponsors announced an agreement on bill language late last week.

"I'm proud to say the time is now to pass this critical legislation to end this heinous injustice once and for all and give these victims their day in court," Cuomo said in a statement Thursday.

WHAT THE CHILD VICTIM ACT DOES

Under the deal cut by Cuomo and legislative Democrats, the Child Victims Act would do three major things:

+ Extend New York's statute of limitations to allow for criminal charges against sexual abusers of children until their victims turn 28 for felony cases, up from the current 23.

+ Allow victims to seek civil action against their abusers and institutions that enabled them until they turn 55.

+ Open up a one-year, one-time-only period to allow all victims to seek civil action, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.

Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and Sen. Brad Hoylman, both Manhattan Democrats, signaled they are on board with the bill, which is on the Legislature's agenda Monday.

Hoylman and Rosenthal have sponsored versions of the Child Victims Act in recent years, but the measure never made it past the Senate amid opposition from the Catholic Church and the insurance industry.

But in November, Democrats won a majority in the Senate for the first time in a decade, with many of their candidates vowing to push for a vote on the measure.

Cuomo met at the state Capitol on Monday morning with advocates and victims, expressing his support for the legislation and saying he was sorry it took years for the bill to pass.

Cuomo has been blasted by Catholic leaders for his support of the measure, as well as signing into law stronger abortion rights last week.

But Cuomo, who is Catholic, said he is unfazed by the criticism, saying running government and passing laws isn't about the beliefs of one religion or another.

"I feel I am wholly in line with what Pope Francis has said on this issue," Cuomo said. "I understand the church bureaucracies’ issue. There could be financial ramifications. There could be embarrassment. And that’s more because of the way they handled the issue."

VICTORY FOR VICTIMS?

Is Monday's vote is a victory for survivors of child sexual abuse? They have organized in greater numbers each year at the Capitol, pushing for a vote on the measure.

They were organized in part by Gary Greenberg, a survivor who founded the Fighting for Children PAC, a political group that supported candidates who backed the bill and fought against those who blocked it.

Greenberg and other victims are scheduled to be at the Capitol on Monday for the vote.

The state Catholic Conference had long lobbied against the measure, raising concern about its potential to bankrupt dioceses and claiming it unfairly targeted private institutions.

But the organization dropped its opposition late last week when the Legislature adopted language from Cuomo's version of the bill, which ensures public institutions can also be sued during the one-year look-back period.

"We therefore remove our previous opposition and pray that survivors find the healing they so desperately deserve," the Catholic Conference tweeted.

Source. (Edited by OP.)