Legislature Passes Child Victims Act

On Monday, the legislature passed the Child Victims Act, extending the statute of limitations for both criminal and civil cases for sexual offenses committed against a child and opening a one year look back window for filing legal claims. The bill passed on Monday would apply to both public and private institutions, where previous iterations of the bill would have only applied to private institutions.

After passage, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins said:

“When we took up this fight for the Child Victims Act, none of us thought it was going to be this tough or take this long. Government has a responsibility to stand up for the survivors of these heinous crimes. That is why the Senate Democratic Majority has been fighting alongside survivors and advocates for years to pass the Child Victims Act and remove the barriers that have been protecting predators. I’ve been proud to work with Senator Brad Hoylman, who has championed and shepherded this legislation, and I commend him on its passage. Justice is finally being delivered.”

The bill now goes to the Governor for his approval or veto.