Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed a bill making private high schools mandatory reporters of sexual abuse on campus. Survivors are calling it a win, but hope the momentum continues when it comes to another key issue — passing the Child Victims Act.

Victims of child sexual abuses currently have until age 23 to seek legal action in New York. The Child Victims Act would expand that statute of limitations.

New York State's Assembly has passed it over and over again, while Republican senators have shut it down. With the legislative session nearing, advocates are optimistic that it will become law early 2019.

After 13 years of lobbying for the act, supporters hope with Democrats holding majority control in the Assembly and Senate could swing votes in their favor. 

Though many advocates have spoke up on the issue, the fight is personal for survivor Mary Ellen Oloughlin. As a young teenager she says she was sexually abused by her stepfather. To her, the Child Victims Act is common sense; it would give survivors more time to seek legal action, and it includes a look back provision that would provide a year for victims to bring up cases that may have happened decades ago.

"The average age for a survivor to come forward and be able to speak publicly about their abuse, and the humiliation associated with it, isn't until their early 40s. So the age of 23 for termination of statute of limitations in ludicrous," Oloughlin said.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple says he has seen countless victims and a broken system that gets their abusers off the hook.

"This is a complete no brain legislation as far as I'm concerned," Apple said.

Opponents are concerned passage of the Child Victims Act would cause a surge of civil suits and costly settlements.

"It's like they put a dollar ahead of the victim. That's what it seems to come down to and that's foolish that we're doing that in 2018. Let these folks have an opportunity to seek justice," Apple said.

Safe Horizon is a victim advocacy group. Vice President of Government Affairs Michael Polenberg says in states that have enacted similar legislation, it has not led to a flood of litigation, and the time is now to put victims first.

"We are hopeful now, with the change in leadership in the New York State Senate in January, that the bill will finally move forward,” Polenberg said.