Sex victims slam GOP fix

ALBANY— With two weeks left in the legislative session, a group of child sex abuse survivors, Democratic lawmakers and advocates urged the state Senate to pass the “real” Child Victims Act, not a GOP version they blasted as a politically motivated sham.

“The Senate needs to stop protecting child predators and put the Child Victims Act to the floor for a vote,” said Tom Andriola, who says he was abused as a child by his brother.

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday passed a bill by Sen. Catharine Young (R-Cattaraugus County) that would take $300 million from asset forfeiture funds controlled by the Manhattan district attorney’s office to create a fund in the controller’s office that would provide financial restitution to child sex abuse survivors.

Supporters say it would help a broader range of survivors, not just those attacked in places like schools and religious institutions. Opponents argued it would let predators off the hook and is designed to make it look like the GOP is doing something on the issue as they head into the fall elections.