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Robocalls now running in Sen. Jacobs' district

This all has to do with a piece of legislation called the Child Victims Act.

BUFFALO, NY - A coalition of sexual abuse survivors and advocates who are working towards stronger laws, are not too happy with a local Senator.

You may have heard robocalls from the group "New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators" - accusing State Senator Chris Jacobs of protecting child abusers.

This all has to do with a piece of legislation called the Child Victims Act.

Senator Jacobs has not signed on this bill and instead has co-sponsored another bill that does similar things.

In a press release 2 On Your Side received from New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators, the group says that Senator Jacobs is protecting child abusers and not victims. The group is pushing every Republican in Albany to support the Child Victims Act. This is what you'll likely hear on the robocall.

The group also accuses Jacobs of trying to block the bill in the Senate. Advocates of the bill say they plan to go to Jacob's legislative offices, urging him to support it.

"The average age when a victim finally comes forward and speaks is about 48 years of age so asking victims to come at age 21 or 23 is ludicrous," said Kathryn Robb of New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators, " we want to put the pressure on those senators and let them know we're not going away."

2 On Your Side asked for an interview with Senator Jacobs, which his office denied. Instead, his office sent a statement:

"Alleging that I am 'protecting predators' is an inflammatory and false allegation. To the contrary, I believe victims of sexual offenses deserve justice and the potential for healing. That is why I am a co-sponsor of a bill (S4809) that extends the statute of limitations for sex crimes committed against minors. It is my strong belief that we will successfully pass legislation this session in Albany to significantly extend, or eliminate, the statute of limitations, both criminally and civilly, for children who were victims of sexual assault. We know that due to the trauma of this child abuse, it may take many years before these victims are able to confront their perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them and we owe them as much time as they need."

The bill extends the statue of limitations to expire at 28 years old for both civil and criminal cases.

But Democrats in the Senate have proposed a bill that would do that on criminal cases and allow victims in civil cases to sue until they reach the age of 50. Senator Jacobs' district includes Grand Island, Orchard Park, Hamburg, and parts of Buffalo.

Those robocalls began Monday on landlines and cell phones, and will last until the budget is passed.

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