After 13 years, the Child Victims Act is officially law in New York State.

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill Thursday, surrounded by survivors and advocates, at the offices of the New York Daily News, which covered the issue extensively.

The CVA expands the statute of limitations for both civil and criminal cases. It also includes a year's lookback window, giving victims previously outside the statute of limitations a year to file civil charges.

The bill was passed by the state legislature more than two weeks ago. Since then, survivors have been pushing for the governor to sign it.

While Cuomo did not address why he hadn’t signed the bill until now, he did give credit to journalists, several lawmakers, and survivors for getting the legislation passed.

"Because courageous victims who endured great pain and great anguish and great humiliation had the courage to come forward and tell their story. And they sacrificed their personal privacy so that others did not have to feel the same pain," Cuomo said.

The lookback window for civil cases opens in six months, giving survivors time to prepare their lawsuits.