Senator Catherine Young (R-Olean)
ALBANY – In a vote that protects victims and gives prosecutors the tools they need to convict violent sexual predators, Senator Cathy Young is announcing that the New York State Senate Monday passed the Rape Victims Equality Act. The bi-partisan bill, which was sponsored by Senator Young, passed with overwhelming support.
According to Young, the bill ensures that our state has the most effective and comprehensive statute in the country to prosecute violent sexual assault crimes. Young said her bill would change the rape definition from penetration to contact, loosening the statute so it is more effective.
The bill is based on the case of Lydia Cuomo, a young school teacher who was raped at gunpoint by an off duty New York City Police Officer in 2011. Michael Pena was charged with rape, but initially the jury could not reach a verdict on the rape charge because three jurors contended that penetration could not be proven. Pena later pled guilty to rape and was also was convicted on several counts of violent sexual assault and using a gun in a crime.
The Rape Victims Equality Act has received public support from both the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York and the Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims. It now moves onto the Assembly for its consideration.
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