S116

The New York State Senate passed S116, sponsored by Sen. Cleare, an act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law. The bill received 59 affirmative votes with no recorded opposition in a roll call vote. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.

The New York State Senate passed Senate Bill 116, legislation to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for sex trafficking and extend the civil lawsuit window for survivors, by a vote of 57-0 on Calendar Number 174. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Cleare, continued an extraordinary legislative trajectory, having passed the chamber unanimously in both 2023 (58-0) and 2024 (59-0), and passing committee unanimously again this year (12-0). Sen. Martins used the floor debate to highlight what he called an "absolute disgrace"—the bill's failure to advance out of committee in the Assembly despite three years of unanimous Senate passage and inclusion in both the Executive Budget and Senate one-house budget. "When we talk about child sex trafficking and the ability to hold people criminally and civilly responsible for such atrocities, the idea that that has been held up in the Assembly needs to be highlighted," Martins said, calling for accountability from Assembly leadership. Sen. Cleare explained the legislation would empower district attorneys across the state to more effectively prosecute human trafficking cases in a "timely, meaningful and preventative manner," allowing survivors to gain a measure of justice. She called 2025 "the year to make it law."