For These Lawmakers, the Child Victims Act Is Personal

Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, D-Manhattan, center, is hugged after she talked about the sexual abuse she experienced as a child. The Child Victims Act passed the N.Y. Assembly on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019.

As New York lawmakers began to vote on the highly-anticipated Child Victims Act on Monday, four lawmakers used their floor time to speak publicly about their experiences with sexual abuse, and convince their colleagues to pass the long-stalled legislation. 

"It's taken me years," said Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, Democrat from Queens. "And this is the first time I publicly speak about my story because there may be no greater act before us this session, as electeds, than to speak about our own truths."

The legislation overwhelmingly passed both houses, after years in which it failed in the then-Republican-led State Senate. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signaled he will sign it into law.

The bill would extend the amount of time survivors have to bring civil and criminal charges. That window currently expires when a person turns 23 years old, a timeline that advocates say is unfair and limiting to many victims. Some of the legislators who spoke about their experiences said they had stayed silent for decades, describing feelings of shame and insecurity that plagued them in the aftermath of their abuse.

"For me, that silence lasted for 25 years. And it is almost unthinkable that I could stand here, as a New York State Senator, to speak about something that I thought I would probably take to my grave," said Senator Alessandra Biaggi, who represents parts of Westchester and the Bronx.

But the decision to speak openly about their assaults did not come easily to everyone. Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, who represents parts of Lower Manhattan, paused several times during her comments before continuing in an emotional voice.

"I never speak on this bill for this reason. Because I literally can't stop shaking," she said to her surrounding colleagues. "And so I just wanted to let you guys know that your vote is so important to me, and so important to those victims. Thank you so much."

Dozens of people on the Assembly floor stood to applaud Niou when she finished speaking.

Amid their personal accounts, each lawmaker acknowledged that the impact of the bill will be widely significant to survivors across the state. 

"This also tells us, whenever we're ready, that now there'll be law that will bring us justice for our pain," said Brooklyn Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte.

The bill passed the Assembly 130 votes to 3, and passed the State Senate unanimously.