ALBANY – Unanimous votes for a bill in one chamber of the state legislature usually mean a smooth passage in the other. This was not the case with the Adult Survivors Act.

The Adult Survivors Act would give sexually abused New Yorkers over the age of 18 one year to bring civil suits for past trauma and hold abusers accountable, even though the statutes of limitations for those legal claims have expired.

On June 3, senators unanimously voted 62-0 to pass the measure, sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman and Congresswoman Linda B. Rosenthal, both D-Manhattan.

The bill remains blocked in the Judicial Committee of the Assembly, where he has resided since January 6.

Representatives of the majority Democrats in the Assembly did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Wednesday on their position on the Adult Survivors Act or on why it has not budged this session.

“The official line we’ve heard is that they look at the bill, study the bill or talk about it at their conference,” said Michael Polenberg, vice president of government affairs at Safe. Horizon, a non-profit victim services organization. agency. “We think that with so many members of the Assembly having signed on and with a 62-to-nothing vote in the Senate, I don’t know what else they need to know or learn about the bill. I think they just need to get it to the ground.

Polenberg was one of many advocates and survivors of sexual abuse or trauma rallying outside Capitol Hill on Wednesday to push Assembly leaders to pass the Adult Survivors Act before the end of the legislative session scheduled for Thursday.

Democrats control both chambers with a veto-proof qualified majority.

Adult survivors of sexual abuse can include people assaulted or abused by medical providers, individuals or models formerly incarcerated in the fashion industry, athletes abused by coaches or teammates, and others.

Marissa Hoechstetter is one of dozens of survivors who suffered medical sexual abuse by a lower-state gynecologist.

“(Speaker of the Assembly) Carl Heastie and leaders need to pull themselves together to tell survivors that they hear us, that they support us,” Hoechstetter said. “This is serious, and it is a widely supported bill that was passed unanimously by the Senate, has broad sponsorship and no opposition in the Assembly.

“Frankly, if this House does not pull itself together and pass this law now that it has already been passed by the Senate with broad support, they are saying they are okay with the institutions that allow rape. They say they agree that facilitators and abusers are allowed to continue doing what they are doing.

The Adult Survivors Act is based on the Child Victims Act. Signed into law on January 28, 2019, the CVA gave child survivors of sexual abuse a way to bring civil suits against their abusers for incidents that occurred before the age of 18.

Some survivors of childhood sexual abuse have struggled to find a lawyer to take their case, especially if a victim’s abuser lacks financial wealth or other assets, or has not been abused. by an institution.

Senator Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx, said Wednesday she was optimistic lawmakers would do the right thing and pass the Adult Survivors Act on the last day of the session.

“We are giving trauma survivors the opportunity to wear a case if they wish,” Biaggi said. “I understand that anyone who wants to use this bill will not be able to use this bill. This means that we have to do even more.

“This means that we have identified an area where we can improve, but we are not stopping the work just because there is another gap to fill,” she added. “It’s not just the right thing to do – it’s the moral thing to do.”

Last week, Gary Greenberg, a childhood sexual abuse survivor who has been a leading advocate for the passage of the Child Victims Act, urged Assembly leaders to reject the bill. of law passed by the Senate, citing the legal challenges faced by some victims.

Greenberg, of New Baltimore, in Greene County, has contacted assembly leaders and said he expects President Carl Heastie, D-Bronx and Judicial Committee Chairman Charles Lavine, D-Glen Cove, review and amend the Child Victims and Adult Survivors Act. Act to give every victim the chance to obtain justice.

Survivors argued on Wednesday that legal hurdles putting a handful of survivors to the test should not prevent action that will bring justice to thousands of people.

In the United States, someone is assaulted or sexually abused every 68 seconds, Biaggi said.

“It’s a staggering statistic, and it means we have to work faster and faster and not delay progress in the very places people put us to to make sure progress is being made,” Biaggi said. “Then when we’re done, we have to move on to the next thing. “

Shame, religious beliefs, family relationships, fear of losing their job or immigrant status can make it difficult for a person to process or plead trauma as part of state-mandated civil sex crimes prosecutions. .

“This whole bill is about one thing: freedom,” said Tom Andriola, a childhood sexual abuse survivor who lives in Guilderland. “Whether or not a survivor chooses to go to court, she is free to do so. So if you are standing on the floor of the Assembly and claiming to yourselves and your constituents that you are here for freedom, you must make it known. You must vote “yes”.

Over 6,000 cases have been filed under the Child Victims Act since August 2019.

The deadline for filing complaints under the Child Victims Act is August 14.