Sen. Tim Kennedy, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and Sen. Brad Hoylman stand at the entrance of Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan’s office. Alongside survivors of childhood sexual abuse, they delivered 132,533 petition signatures demanding that the Child Victims Act with the one-year look-back window be passed as part of the budget due at the end of the week.
Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, and Sen. Timothy Kennedy, delivered 132,533 signatures to Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan’s office in support of the Child Victims Act, which is reportedly a sticking point to a final budget due this week.
Child sexual abuse survivors joined the lawmakers in demanding that the Child Victims Act (S.809) with a one-year look-back window be passed as part of the budget due at the end of the week.
The look-back window would allow abuse victims to file a civil or criminal suit for a period of one year, regardless of when the abuse happened. While advocates for the bill consider the one-year look-back window to be crucial in helping victims get their day in court, there is strong opposition to it. Those opposed say that it could lead to a flood of false claims, and bankrupt organizations. Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently called it “toxic.”
“While we have 132,533 signatures here, we should also know that in New York, we have about 40,000 predators who still remain unchecked, unnamed and possibly in contact with your kids,” Hoylman said.
Rosenthal says that a younger voting block may bump out politicians who are against the CVA. Victims will learn which politicians supported them and will vote “the right way,” she said.
“We are being let down again and again by the state Senate by republicans who want to protect their majority,” Rosenthal said. “However, Senator Flanagan and the ones in his crew who object to having a proper Child Victims Act in the budget do not come to see it our way. They probably won’t return here next January.”
