Senator Phillips Joins Fellow Legislators In A Bipartisan Push To Protect Sexual Assault Victims

Senator Elaine Phillips recently joined Senator Kemp Hannon, several legislators and advocates in a bipartisan push on key measures that would help expand the rights of sexual assault survivors. These measures will ensure all sexual assault survivors are provided greater resources to seek justice.

“This package of bills builds upon existing laws aimed to protect sexual assault victims and affords them every opportunity to seek swift and strict justice for the heinous crimes,” Senator Phillips said. “I was proud to stand with my colleagues, advocates and survivors to ensure rights for sexual assault survivors are strengthened.”

The bills, which Senator Phillips is co-sponsoring, S.6428A, S.6947A and S.6964A, focus on creating a “Survivor’s Bill of Rights,” maintaining unreported rape kits for 20 years, creating a rape kit tracking system, establishing a sexual assault forensic examination (S.A.F.E.) telemedicine pilot program and ensuring victims are never billed for exams.

These measures currently before the Senate and Assembly are necessary to ensure sexual assault survivors in New York get the best treatment possible and are not re-victimized by the system.