Policy Priorities

Calling on the Legislature to direct $25 million in state funding to New York’s recipients of VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) funding, which includes vital sexual assault support services, to offset a reduction in victim services funding from the federal level. #fundthegap

Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act (A849/S3075) is a package of measures that would repeal penalties for selling and buying sex, as well as update other parts of the state law that address prostitution to align them with the repealed charges.

The Adult Survivors Act (A648/S66A) would allow survivors of certain sexual offenses, who were eighteen years or older at the time of the offense and who are currently time-barred from pursuing civil action, a one-year window to pursue civil action against the person who committed a sexual offense against them or the entity that enabled them.

This legislation (A6616/S2584A) would amend the state regulation on health education to explicitly include comprehensive sexuality education in the definition of health education, and therefore require each public and charter school to provide students in grades kindergarten through twelve with comprehensive sexuality education.

Less than 3% of all crime victims currently access crime victim funds which are intended to compensate victims and survivors for costs that arise as a result of a crime, including hospital bills, burial expenses, temporary housing, or lock replacement. This legislation (A8619A/S7573) would extend the amount of time that a victim has to file a claim and to report a crime to authorities, and expand the type of evidence victims may use to document that a crime has occurred.

This legislation (A08546/S08351) would prohibit courts from ordering a survivor to undergo a mandatory gynecological or physical examination.