A political action committee formed by a child sex abuse victim last week backed Democrat Adam Haber in the state Senate Seventh District race to succeed state Sen. Jack Martins.
Haber said that passing the Child Victims Act, legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations for reporting child sex abuse, would be one of his main goals if elected.
“Sponsoring and passing the Child Victims Act will be a top priority of mine as a state senator so that the victims of child abuse are able to get the justice that they deserve,” he said.
A New York businessman, Gary Greenberg, formed the Fighting for Children PAC two months ago to support state legislators who would vote in favor of the Child Victims Act.
According to the Daily News, Greenberg was sexually abused as a child in 1966 by a hospital employee while he was visiting his ill father.
Senate Republicans, who are in the majority, blocked a push last month by Democratic legislators to bring the Child Victims Act to the floor for a vote.
“It’s reprehensible that the Senate Republican majority, led by Long Island senators, have been aggressively blocking the Child Victims Act that would help protect our children and families while rightfully going after predators,” Haber said.
Greenberg has said that the PAC would provide endorsed candidates with financial support and volunteer assistance.
A Haber campaign spokesman, Jonathan Heppner, said the PAC “has been financially supportive of Adam Haber’s campaign for state Senate.”
Heppner did not specify how much the campaign has received.
Haber said it was “absolutely concerning” that the state lawmakers who opposed the Child Victims Act were the “same politicians funding and running my opponent’s campaign.”
He is to face off against Elaine Phillips, a Republican, to represent the Seventh District.
Phillips said that if elected, she would try to find common ground between the two parties to reach a feasible solution.
“Current legislation has failed to win support in either the Assembly or Senate and, as senator, I will not stop working until we find a solution that can be signed into law,” she said.
Phillips said it was important to protect children who are sexually abused and prevent abuse from occurring.
“As a mother of three who has spent years volunteering with children throughout our community, I am appalled by incidents of sexual abuse, especially when they involve trusted adults who exploit their position and authority to commit their crimes,” she said. “We must do all we can to protect children and ensure deserved punishment for abusers, as well as allow victims to seek and find justice.”
