A group of survivors connected to convicted sx offender Jeffrey Epstein stood alongside Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday to introduce sweeping legislation that would permanently eliminate federal statutes of limitations for sex trafficking crimes, a move supporters say is long overdue for survivor justice.
The proposal, known as Virginia’s Law, is designed to dismantle legal time barriers that have historically prevented victims of sexual violence from pursuing accountability. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), framed the measure as a correction to a system that has too often favored abusers.
“Justice should not expire,” Schumer said during the announcement. Expanding on that point, he argued that recovery timelines vary widely for survivors and should not be constrained by law.
“[Our law] allows survivors to seek accountability when they’re ready, when they’re strong enough, able to face the weight of civil litigation. Sometimes it takes years to recuperate from the horror that occurred. Why should the government say, ‘Well, we’re setting an arbitrary time when you are able to pursue your case?’”
Beyond eliminating time limits, the bill also strengthens jurisdictional clarity, closing loopholes that can allow perpetrators to evade prosecution by moving crimes across state lines or international borders.
“You don’t get to escape prosecution by simply putting predators and victims on a plane to a private island or mansion in Florida or a ranch in New Mexico. Because justice should not depend on a calendar. Justice should not depend on geography, and it should never depend on how powerful your abuser is,” Fernández said.
Virginia’s Law is named after Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide last April at age 41. Her brother, Sky Roberts, delivered an emotional address, describing the legislation as a continuation of his sister’s advocacy.
“Today we give Virginia her voice back,” Roberts said. “Grief without action is another kind of silence, and Virginia did not survive what she survived just to be silenced again.”
While President Biden signed legislation in 2022 removing federal civil filing limits for victims of child sex abuse and trafficking, that reform did not apply retroactively to crimes committed before September 15, 2022. Schumer emphasized that Virginia’s Law is intended to close remaining gaps, stating later that he wants the bill to have “no loopholes.”
The announcement also unfolded amid renewed political pressure on the Trump administration over its handling of records tied to the Epstein investigation. Millions of documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act have drawn bipartisan criticism for extensive redactions.
Fernández accused President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi of obstructing accountability, alleging the Justice Department is being used to shield powerful figures.
She said Virginia’s Law would finally “unlock the doors to the courthouse” for survivors.
“To every Epstein co-conspirator and sexual predator, we’re coming for you. And to Donald Trump and Pam Bondi: How dare you? How dare you use the Department of Justice, a government agency, which by its name is intended to bring justice, to use it to prevent justice, to protect yourself and that predatory circle of abusers.”
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