EXCLUSIVE: PAC founder believes passage of Child Victims Act will be priority for Cuomo in 2017

By Kenneth Lovett
New York Daily News
October 24, 2016

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/survivor-believes-cuomo-fight-child-victims-act-2017-article-1.2842186

Gary Greenberg, a victim of child sexual abuse, believes the Child Victims Act will be a priority for Gov. Cuomo next year. Photo by Robert Sabo

ALBANY — The creator of a political action committee pushing to make it easier for child sex abuse victims to seek justice as adults is convinced the governor will make passage of the measure a priority next year.

Gary Greenberg, an upstate investor and child sexual abuse survivor who created the Fighting For Children PAC, spoke with Cuomo at a recent fund-raiser the governor headlined for state Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Nassau County).

Greenberg, whose PAC is supporting Kaminsky, said he believes Cuomo might include the call for passage of the Child Victims Act in his January State of the State address.

“He said he would propose it in early 2017 and that it’s going to get done,” Greenberg said.

Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi wouldn’t comment on specifics about the conversation, but said “the governor has made it clear ensuring these victims get justice remains a focus of this upcoming legislative session.”

Meanwhile, Greenberg also met separately on the issue last week with state Sen. Jeffrey Klein, who heads a group of breakaway Democrats that is expected to play a major role in which party will control the Senate in 2017.

Klein, he said, was coy about which party the Independent Democratic Conference will align with, but was clear about the group’s support for the Child Victims Act.

He said Klein (D-Bronx) warned that even if the Democrats take control of the chamber, he believes it’s likely at least a few Republican votes could be needed to pass the measure.

Klein also raised the idea of creating a state commission or committee that would screen information presented by victims to determine which ones had enough evidence to go to civil court.

Greenberg said he could support such an idea, which would expand on Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s recent announcement that the Catholic archdiocese he heads is creating a program that would allow an independent arbitrator to review and settle cases of alleged clergy abuse.

Klein on Friday was mum about his meeting with Greenberg other than to say “we remain steadfast in our support of the issue and hope in the upcoming legislative session we can get it done.”

Greenberg’s PAC has given a number of key Senate Democrats the maximum $11,000. Greenberg has also personally given them thousands of dollars as well.