Don’t Put a Cap on Justice: New Report from Policy Group Chair Senator Hoylman and NY Senate Democratic Conference Stand Firmly With The Real Child Victims Act

Passage of the Child Victims Act could save the state as much as $350 million from the Medicaid budget

Senator Hoylman: The only way to ensure justice for survivors is through passage of the Child Victims Act, which will allow survivors their day in court and hold abusers accountable for their actions

NEW YORK - Today, Senate Democratic Conference Policy Group Chair Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan) and members of the Senate Democratic Conference released a report outlining the necessity of the Child Victims Act (S.6575/A.5885A).  The Senate Democratic Policy Group report, Don’t Put a Cap on Justice: Why the Child Victims Act is Worth It, details New York’s restrictive statutes of limitations, which routinely fail to hold abusers accountable and deny survivors their day in court. The report details the problems with legislation proposed by Republicans as an alternative to the Child Victims Act, which establishes a $300-million dollar compensation fund, finding that the fund is not nearly enough money, it diverts money away from other productive uses instead of making the predators or insurance companies pay, denies survivors their right to a day in court, and denies discovery in civil cases that often uncovers predators who will continue to abuse children for years to come. Senate Democrats plan to force a vote on the Child Victims Act during Tuesday’s Legislative Session

Senator Hoylman said: “Our new report shines light on the misguided GOP proposal to use public dollars to pay survivors of child sexual abuse, shielding abusers from scrutiny and leaving them in contact with children. The only way to ensure justice for survivors is through passage of the Child Victims Act, which will allow survivors their day in court and hold the abusers and institutions at fault accountable. I’m extremely grateful to Child Victims Act co-sponsor Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the entire Democratic conference for their support of this vital legislation.”

The Child Victims Act would extend New York’s statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse and create a one-year “look-back window” that permits survivors to initiate claims against their abusers in cases where the statute of limitations has expired. New York’s existing statutes of limitations give survivors only until the age of 23 to file a claim.

Recent polls have demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers support the Child Victims Act. On May 1, 2018, the Assembly passed the Child Victims Act by a vote of 130 to 10, with strong bipartisan support under the leadership of Assembly sponsor Linda Rosenthal. The Senate Democrats support the Child Victims Act, though there has been unanimous opposition by the Senate Republican Majority.