NEW YORK
Times Herald-Record
June 10, 2018
With only days left in this legislative session, the Republican majority in the state Senate seems determined to acknowledge the plight of young victims of sexual abuse only if it can protect those who are responsible.
That’s quite a trick, but it is at the heart of the GOP alternative to the Child Victims Act which has repeatedly passed the Assembly, which has Democratic support but lacks the vote of even one Republican including those retiring at the end of this term who could go out with this humane accomplishment as part of their legacy.
The background is complex but clear. New York is one of a few states that makes it very hard for those subject to sexual abuse as youngsters to bring their assailants to justice. A package of laws awaiting a vote in the Senate would give those victims more time to lodge complaints, would allow more time for those abused in the future and, most important and contentious of all, would establish a one-year period in which anybody who was abused could bring the case to court.
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