I was not surprised that Sen. Elaine Phillips and her Republican colleagues succeeded in stripping the Child Victims Act provision from the final New York State budget passed on March 31.
They made it clear from the beginning that protecting influential organizations (such as the Catholic Church, Orthodox Jewish groups and the Boy Scouts) from potential civil and criminal liability was more important to them than pursuing justice for those sexually molested or raped as children.
As your readers may or may not know, the CVA would substantially extend the civil and criminal statutes of limitations for sex crimes committed against minors and allow one year for victims whose rights previously lapsed to file suit.
Particularly abhorrent was Phillips’ justification for blocking the CVA from becoming law after months of avoiding any and all public discussion on the matter.
According to your reporter, Luke Torrance, Phillips stated that an April 1s deadline to pass the budget would not give her sufficient time to examine the CVA provision and that she wanted to “assemble experts and really look at the law.”
In your March 30t edition, Torrance quoted Phillips as saying, “It’s not something we want to do haphazardly.”
She added, “We are not defeated on this issue,” implying that she stood with the CVA’s proponents.
Of course, this is completely dishonest of Phillips.
The CVA’s proponents have been pushing for its passage for over a decade, and it has passed the State Assembly five times. This is not something that was sprung on anyone at the last moment.
To be fair, Phillips took office in January 2017, but that has given her well over a year to gather data and consult with experts on this issue.
If she had taken these steps, she would have learned that similar laws passed recently in other states have not bankrupted the too-big-to-fail religious and social organizations she’s actively shielding.
And, even if those groups’ finances were under serious threat, Phillips’ obligation as a public servant is to fight for justice, not to selectively circumvent it.
Organizations that spent decades shirking responsibility for and, in many cases, actively covering up the crimes of their members do not deserve Phillips’ advocacy or protection. Victims of sexual abuse and assault do.
If you are a resident of New York’s 7th Senate District, please call Phillips at (516) 746-5924 or (518) 455-3265 and let her know how important it is that she stops making excuses and starts actively supporting the CVA.
You can also contact her by e-mail at ephillips@nysenate.gov.
If you do not live in Phillips’ district, visit www.nysenate.gov to find your senator’s contact information.
Matthew Zeidman
New Hyde Park
