[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S61]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SCHUMER (for Mrs. Feinstein (for herself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. 
        Klobuchar, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Franken, Mr. Tillis, Mrs. 
        Gillibrand, Mr. Markey, and Mr. Flake)):
  S. 30. A bill to extend the civil statute of limitations for victims 
of Federal sex offenses; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Extending 
Justice for Sex Crime Victims Act, a bill to extend the time for minors 
to seek justice against their perpetrators.
  Sex crimes committed against children tragically remain a vile and 
dangerous reality in communities across this country.
  Just this past summer, as the world tuned into the 2016 Olympic Games 
in Rio de Janeiro, the Indianapolis Star reported that USA Gymnastics 
had failed to report to law enforcement allegations of child sexual 
abuse committed by some of its coaches.
  Due to these purported failures, athletes as young as 7 years old 
were reported to have been abused for years, without any action taken 
to prevent the abuse.
  Since the initial Indianapolis Star report, more and more young 
gymnasts have come forward about their abuse.
  All over the world, and all over this country, sex abuse victims are 
bravely coming forward to tell their stories of abuse when they were 
children.
  In my home state of California, numerous victims have contacted my 
office. They have shared the amount of courage and strength it took to 
finally come forward with their experiences.
  These stories represent an untold amount of pain and suffering. They 
also represent how difficult it is to come forward until later, in 
adulthood.
  It has been estimated that 90 percent of child sex crime victims 
never go to the authorities concerning their abuse.
  To put this into context, studies indicate that at least one in four 
girls and about one in five boys is sexually abused. 90 percent of 
those victims never go to the authorities.
  A great number of victims don't ever disclose their abuse. If they 
do, they do not come forward until many years later, after reaching 
adulthood.
  This bill extends the civil statute of limitations in two ways for 
minor victims of Federal sex crimes to seek justice against their 
perpetrators.
  For one, the bill extends the statute of limitations for minor 
victims until the age of 28, from age 21, for injuries stemming from 
sex crimes such as sexual abuse and child pornography.
  Second, for the two laws that provide civil remedies for sex abuse 
and sex trafficking victims, the bill clarifies that the statute of 
limitations does not begin to run until after the victim actually 
discovers the injury or the violation.
  This is significant because victims of sex crimes are sometimes 
abused even before they can remember the abuse, some as young as 3 
years old. Some victims are unable to connect their abuse to the 
injurious symptoms they exhibit throughout their lives.
  The bill therefore clarifies that the limitations period begins when 
the victim first discovers the injury or the violation.
  Through these provisions, the bill ensures that minor victims have an 
extended period to seek justice against their perpetrators after 
discovering their injury or violation.
  I want to thank Senator Cornyn again for working so closely with me 
on this issue. I also want to thank the cosponsors to this bill: 
Senators Klobuchar, Inhofe, Franken, Flake, Gillibrand, Tillis, and 
Markey.
  I also want to acknowledge the support for this bill from the 
National Center for Victims of Crime, Rape Abuse & Incest National 
Network, the National Children's Advocacy Center, SGS for Healing, 
National Crime Victim Law Institute, National Association of VOCA 
Assistance Administrators, National Network to End Domestic Violence, 
Stop the Silence, PROTECT, the National Association to Protect 
Children, Rights4Girls, End Rape on Campus, National Children's 
Alliance, Lauren's Kids, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, 
and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
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