WASHINGTON (DC)
Baptist News Global [Jacksonville FL]
February 19, 2026
By Mallory Challis
Last week, U.S. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced S-3815, also known as “Virginia’s Law.” The bill would eliminate the statute of limitations restrictions in civil sexual abuse cases for American survivors.
It is named after a survivor of abuse by the late Jeffrey Epstein. Virginia Giuffre was one of the earliest victims to publicly call for criminal justice against Epstein. In April 2025, Guiffre died by suicide.
Guiffre settled for an undisclosed amount in 2022 after alleging she was trafficked by Epstein to powerful people, including Prince Andrew. Although the details of her settlement are not entirely public, her willingness to share her story contributed to the federal investigations that imprisoned both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
This bill holds her namesake and intends to give the numerous, now adult, Epstein survivors legal avenues of justice for crimes committed against them years ago.
“Virginia’s Law” is similar to numerous state-level bills aiming to lengthen or eliminate civil statutes of limitations, such as Missouri’s SJR-93 and SB-1140, which abuse survivors and advocates testified in favor of last Wednesday. While similar, Schumer’s bill has some additional stipulations.
The legislation proposes a total elimination of the statute of limitations for sexual abuse and sex trafficking victims, removing all time limits for filing civil complaints. This includes legal actions taken to hold accountable both abusers themselves and anyone who contributed or directly benefitted from the abuse.
It also offers a one-year lookback period, which would allow survivors who previously aged out of the statute of limitations a window to file complaints against their abusers or other complicit parties.
In his statement, Schumer said Virginia’s Law is “a simple but essential piece of legislation eliminating the statute of limitations that has shielded horrific criminals like Jeffrey Epstein and denied survivors of the ability to hold them accountable.”
Now that an immense amount of information has been released by the DOJ in the Epstein Files, he says the need for justice is even clearer. “Congress should pass this law immediately. We know when Congress has the will, it can pass legislation with lightning speed. We passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act through both Chambers in a day. There is no reason to delay this bill.”
Schumer says this bill will continue Guiffre’s legacy of truth-telling by protecting all survivors of sexual abuse who want to seek justice for crimes they endured.
“Virginia was courageous and an inspiration to every single one of us. After facing unimaginable horrors, she spoke out — spoke out for those who could not speak for themselves. Advancing this bill will help her legacy live on by ensuring justice for all survivors,” he said.