NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7631
SPONSOR: Lunsford TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the local finance law, in relation to the probable
usefulness of judgments, compromised claims or settled claims resulting
from certain child sexual abuse cases
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To allow school districts to bond for up to 30 years for judgments or
settlements resulting from the CVA.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends paragraph a of section 11.00 of the local finance law
by adding a new subdivision 33-a-1 which allows school districts, BOCES,
and Special Act school districts to bond for up to 30 years on judg-
ments, compromised claims, or settled claims resulting from CVA cases.
JUSTIFICATION:
The Child Victims Act, passed in 2019, created a look-back period for
adult survivors of child sexual abuse to file a civil lawsuit against an
individual or institution, even if the statute of limitations had
elapsed. During the two-years the window was open, more than 10,000
claims were filed. According to research by Child USA, 13.4% of these
cases named a public or non-public school as a defendant.
The CVA has provided an important opportunity for thousands of New York-
ers to pursue justice through civil claims for abuse they suffered as
children. It has also placed a financial burden on many public insti-
tutions, particularly public schools, who are named in cases that are
often decades old. In many cases, school districts are responding to
lawsuits for abuse that occurred under entirely different administrators
and staff many decades prior.
This legislation aims to give school districts more flexibility in
paying out judgments .or settlement claims that result from CVA cases.
Under current law, districts may bond over 15 years to pay out a judg-
ment that exceeds a certain financial threshold. This bill would extend
that authority to 30 years for any judgment or settlement related to the
CVA. This will ensure that survivors can continue to pursue their cases
against school districts, while giving districts additional tools to pay
claims without adversely impacting current students.
PRIOR HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7631
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 1, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LUNSFORD -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the local finance law, in relation to the probable
usefulness of judgments, compromised claims or settled claims result-
ing from certain child sexual abuse cases
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph a of section 11.00 of the local finance law is
2 amended by adding a new subdivision 33-a-1 to read as follows:
3 33-a-1. Judgments, compromised claims, or settled claims resulting
4 from section two hundred fourteen-g of the civil practice law and rules.
5 Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision thirty-three of this
6 section, the payment of judgments, compromised claims, or settled claims
7 against a school district, board of cooperative educational services, or
8 school district created by special act of the legislature, resulting
9 from court orders on proceedings brought pursuant to section two hundred
10 fourteen-g of the civil practice law and rules, up to thirty years.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10746-01-5
