One of the most important bills sitting on the desk of California Governor Jerry Brown is the Child Victim’s Act, Senate Bill 131. This bill would provide a one year window for California victims of childhood sexual abuse to confront their abusers and seek justice in the civil courts.
As a California sexual abuse lawyer, I know the importance of this legislation. If this bill becomes law, it will send a signal to California institutions that they will be held accountable for allowing the sexual abuse of children.
Governor Brown has three options before the October 13 deadline:
1. Sign SB 131 into law and do the right thing by standing with survivors of sex abuse, molestation, exploitation, and incest;
2. Do nothing, in which case SB 131 will go into effect automatically; or
3. Veto the bill and stop this chance for victims to finally get justice.
There is still time to contact the Governor’s office and urge him to sign SB 131. You may contact him at (916) 445-2841 or send him a fax: (916) 558-3160. There is also a contact form on the Governor’s website: http://gov.ca.gov/m_contact.php
If you’ve been victimized as a child by sexual abuse in California, please contact us at info@oandc.com or call us at 503-306-0224. We are here for you.