Albany, NY – During this year’s Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Senator Salazar and Assemblymember Dinowitz have introduced Sexual Assault Survivor Rights (S9928/ Awaiting Assembly Bill Number) to: 

-- Allow survivors to have a support person and legal representation present during  interviews by law enforcement. 

-- Allow survivors to choose the gender of the police officer that interviews them. 

-- Establish a sexual assault task force led by the Office of Victim Services to evaluate how New York State handles reports of sexual assault and provides services. 

Rise, a national civil rights organization focused on fighting for the rights of all sexual assault survivors, is the advocacy group that helped create this legislation. 

State Senator Julia Salazar, Chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, said: “Sexual assault survivors in New York live through harrowing experiences, and it is our job as lawmakers to make the aftermath as humane and supportive as possible. That means not forcing survivors to be alone in invasive situations and ensuring they have an officer interviewing them that’s the gender of their choosing. The Sexual Assault Survivors Act is a piece of legislation that all sexual assault survivors deserve everywhere.”  

Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “This legislation ensures that our justice system works with survivors of sexual assault, not around them. It gives survivors a meaningful role in critical decisions, strengthens protections for their privacy, and helps create a more supportive and respectful investigative process. These interactions must be handled with the utmost care and sensitivity, and improving survivors’ experiences will help break down stigma and foster a greater sense of trust throughout the process. The creation of a Sexual Assault Survivors Task Force ensures that New York State can deliver the support and resources survivors need. By bringing together survivors, advocates, and experts, the task force will lay the foundation for lasting, systemic improvements. Survivors deserve to be heard, protected, and treated with dignity. This bill moves us closer to a system that truly reflects those values.” 

Gina Tron, NY State Organizer with Rise, said: "Rise applauds Chairwoman Salazar and Chairman Dinowitz for their commitment to survivors across New York. If passed into law, S9928 would give the State the power to expand and solidify essential rights for more than 6.6 million people. Rise is proud to support this bill every step of the way."