NEW YORK
Syracuse Post-Standard
March 9, 2019
By Editorial Board
New York should join 37 other states and the District of Columbia that have instituted early voting. The Legislature should do it this year, so that it can be tested in the 2019 off-year election and fully operational by the 2020 presidential election. …
… Here are two more proposals we support that have been kicking around Albany for years. Cuomo included them in his budget, which may raise their chances of passing:
Child Victims Act: Justice for sex abuse survivors
The current statute of limitations gives survivors of child sexual abuse five years from the time they turn 18 to bring a criminal complaint; civil lawsuits must be brought within three years of age 18. Abuse survivors often do not come to terms with the trauma until much later than that. Cuomo’s version of the Child Victims Act – tougher than the bill he supported last year – would allow criminal prosecution anytime of a sexually related felony that was committed against a child under age 18. It would extend the statute of limitations for civil claims to 50 years from the date of the offense. The legislation also would open a one-year window to allow past victims who were shut out by the statute of limitations to sue. They would still have to prove their claims to a judge.
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