Victims of sexual abuse as children will have one year to file lawsuits that would otherwise file outside the statute of limitations, now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed the Child Victims Act into law.

The one-year lookback window included in the law opens on August 14.

Current law gives victims until age 23 to file civil cases or seek criminal charges. Under the new law, victims can file civil suits until age 55 and seek criminal charges until age 28.

"For the past 13 years, the bill died in the state Senate. Not because people voted against it, but even worse — because they wouldn't bring the bill to the floor," Cuomo said. "Once the truth sees the light of day, it is undeniable."

The one-year litigation window for past claims now barred by the statute of limitations has been the sticking point, with large private institutions such as the Catholic Church warning that it could cause catastrophic financial harm to any organization that cares for children. A similar law in California, passed in 2002, resulted in Catholic dioceses there paying $1.2 billion in settlements.

The Child Victims Act was approved in lopsided numbers in both chambers of the Democratic-controlled Legislature. In the state Senate, lawmakers approved the bill unanimously, 63-0. In the state Assembly, the bill won passage 130-3.

Victims who have spent years fighting for the law’s passage said that while their abuse cannot be undone, they hope it will prevent others from sharing their experiences.

"I feel more comfortable now today, because I've learned how to deal with it but as far as healing that wound, it's always going to be there," said Kevin Haslam, a survivor of abuse.

Vanessa DeRosa was sexually harassed and abused when she was in middle school.

"It's a big deal because you can't expect a child to all of a sudden to turn 18 and now they are OK to talk about it, now they can go pursue it, a lot of times they need more time mentally to come forward so it's not just a big deal for everybody in this room, it's a big deal for a lot of other people too," DeRosa said previously.