PAC attack on GOP over vics
ALBANY – Upset that the state Senate Republicans this year again failed to pass legislation to help child sex abuse survivors seek justice as adults, a “bewildered” Gary Greenberg is using his political action committee to try to help the Democrats win control of the chamber in November.
Greenberg, an upstate investor and child sex abuse survivor who several years ago created the political action committee to push for passage of the Child Victims Act, had previously backed Democrats but this year began working with the Senate Republicans in hopes of getting them to finally act on a bill.
He helped craft legislation with Sen. Catharine Young (R-Cattaraugus County) and even spent money to hire a Republican lobbyist to gain traction within the GOP conference.
But Republican leadership blocked Young’s bill, which was opposed by the Democrats and many advocates, from coming to the floor for a vote. Greenberg had hoped a vote would help spur negotiations.
“It’s quite obvious to me that (Senate Majority Leader John) Flanagan doesn’t want to do anything,” Greenberg said. “He refused to take any action to help victims, and that’s sad.”
As a result, Greenberg said his PAC is endorsing Democrats Anna Kaplan, who is running against GOP Sen. Elaine Phillips in Nassau County, and Assemblyman James Skoufis, a Democrat seeking the Senate seat being vacated by longtime Republican Sen. William Larkin in Orange County. Skoufis is facing Republican Tom Basile.
“If they don’t want to change the law, the Senate Republicans have to be removed as the majority and we have to put in a majority that will bring change and provide justice and make the lives of victims better,” he said.
Skoufis said that if elected to the Senate, he will support “the strongest legislation possible that holds child sex abusers accountable while delivering justice for all survivors.”
Kaplan said “the fact that the Child Victims Act remains in limbo in Albany is inexcusable.”
Phillips was a co-sponsor on Young’s bill, but Greenberg said it wasn’t enough since she was unable to get it to the floor for a vote.
Basile could not be reached for comment.
State Senate GOP spokeswoman Candice Giove said “any act of sexual abuse against a child is horrific, which is why year after year, the Senate Republican majority proactively takes steps to protect children from predators and these measures simply die in the Assembly.” Giove blamed the Assembly for a lack of a deal, saying they refused to discuss Young’s bill or “collaborate or work in any meaningful way to move this issue across the finish line.”
But advocates point the finger squarely at the Republicans for bottling up the issue for years.
The Democratic-controlled Assembly has the past two years passed the Child Victims Act backed by most survivor advocates that would extend the time frames that a victim could bring a civil case or seek criminal charges and create a one-year window to revive old cases time-barred under current law. Gov. Cuomo supports a similar measure but is opposed by the Catholic Church and other groups like the Boy Scouts of America and insurance companies.