More than a half-decade after Jeffrey Epstein’s death, the pursuit of justice — and of financial damages — has found its way to the New York State Capitol.

Two women who have accused Mr. Epstein of sexual misconduct are expected to appear in Albany next week to describe the horrors they experienced and the system that allowed the financier’s abuse to continue for so long. Their testimony will come at a hearing for a bill that seeks to alter the state’s sex-trafficking laws to better account for the kinds of crimes that Mr. Epstein was accused of.

The proposed legislation would make it possible for victims of Mr. Epstein to seek punitive damages in state lawsuits against his estate and the people who worked with him. It would also criminalize the actions of people who help perpetuate sex trafficking and benefit from schemes set up by people like Mr. Epstein.

“When the abuser dies, the impact does not die,” said Senator Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat from Brooklyn who introduced the bill. “The effects do not die, and, for victims and survivors — notably in the Epstein cases but more broadly — they cannot recover from the estate in a way that I think New Yorkers would expect for them to recover.”