After long battle, New York passes Child Victims Act
ALBANY — The state Legislature, buoyed by the recent Democratic takeover of the Senate chamber, on Monday voted overwhelmingly to pass the Child Victims Act, ending a more than decade-long political battle between survivors of childhood sexual abuse and some of the institutions that have been accused of trying to cover it up.
In an extraordinary turnabout, every Republican member of the state Senate — whose leaders had for years blocked the legislation from being voted on in their chamber — threw their support to the bill, which passed unanimously. A short time later, the state Assembly voted 130-3 in favor of the measure, which Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he will be sign into law in the coming days.
Many state lawmakers gave emotional remarks as they cast their votes, some revealing abuse they had suffered as children and recounting how it can take victims years or even decades to come to terms with what happened or to gain the courage to tell someone about it.
Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, a chief sponsor of the bill, at times choked up as he recounted the years-long efforts of advocates and victims to get the legislation passed. He took a shot at his Republican colleagues who wanted to include a provision creating a special fund to compensate victims who may have been abused by a relative or in other situations where litigation may not be an option.
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