Liu, Paladino Weigh In On Child Victims Act

Queens County Politics reached out to John Liu (D), Vickie Paladino (R) and State Sen. Tony Avella (Independence Party) – the three major candidates in the race for the State Senate’s 11th District to see where they stand on the Child Victims Act, which currently awaits a senate vote.

The measure would end the state’s statute of limitations for victims of child
sexual abuse to charge their abusers in court, currently capped at 23 years of age, raising it to 28 years for the victims to pursue a criminal motion and 50 years for civil cases.

The act also provides a one-year window that permits victims of older cases to file civil suits, which has served as the major reason for opposition to the bill.

Liu, the former city comptroller and city council member, came out firmly in favor of
the bill.

“New York State has one of the shortest windows, of any state, for victims to report
abuse. The Child Victims Act has passed in the NYS Assembly every year since 2006 but a GOP Senate has consistently not allowed it to come up for a vote,” Liu told QCP.

“This should not be a partisan issue. Our state should protect victims of child abuse.”

But Republican nominee Paladino indicated she sympathized with the bill’s goals, but disagreed with its implementation.

“We certainly recognize that reforms are necessary to how New York State handles past claims of sex abuse, but we feel that this bill as it currently exists
is not the right way to go about it,” she told QCP. “It leaves the door open to frivolous claims or abuse on the part of people who may have an axe to grind. We definitely look forward to fixing this bill and finding a solution that will absolutely work for the victims and the people of New York.”

Avella, who lost in the Democratic primary to Liu did not return several emails and phone calls at post time.

The election is Nov. 6. The district includes College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Flushing, Jamaica Estates, Fresh Meadows, Bellerose, Floral Park, Jamaica, Douglaston, Little Neck, Auburndale, Kissena Park, Briarwood.