Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 10/1/25… Last week, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) called on Governor Kathy Hochul to take immediate and decisive action to ensure survivors of child sexual abuse in New York finally receive the justice they were promised under the Child Victims Act (CVA) in a letter condemning the state’s failure to enforce the CVA and protect survivors who were abused in both public and private institutions. 

“The Child Victims Act (CVA), passed almost seven years ago, was supposed to open the doors of justice to those silenced for decades. Instead, in New York, survivors now face two equally devastating failures: insurance companies refusing to pay what they owe and the State of New York refusing to act,” wrote the lawmaker. 

Survivors across New York continue to face devastating obstacles, including insurers refusing to pay claims in violation of state guidance and legal technicalities that prevent those abused in state-run facilities from even bringing their cases forward.

“These injustices reflect the abject failure of your administration and demand immediate intervention. Insurers have aggressively denied coverage to abuse survivors… Instead of confronting this behavior, your administration has refused to enforce the Child Victims Act and DFS Circular Letter No. 11, which requires insurers to ‘cooperate fully’ and ‘to act promptly,’” concluded the lawmaker.

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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The full letter can be found HERE.