Congress·In Committee·S. 3815

Virginia's Law

Senate Bill Would Let Sex Trafficking Survivors Sue Abusers With No Time Limit

5 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Part of: Virginia’s Law Introduced to End Statutes of Limitations for Sex Abuse

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, called "Virginia's Law," would allow victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking to sue their attackers in federal court. Victims could ask for money to cover their suffering and have their legal bills paid by the person who harmed them.
For the most serious crimes, like sex trafficking and severe sexual abuse, the bill removes all time limits for filing a lawsuit. This means a survivor could take their abuser to court even if the crime happened many years ago.
The law also goes after people or companies that knowingly made money from these crimes. If a business benefited from a trafficking ring, they could be held responsible in court just like the person who committed the abuse.
There is a special one-year "look back" period. This gives people whose cases were previously blocked by old time limits a new chance to file their lawsuits and seek justice.
To make sure criminal cases aren't disrupted, any lawsuit would be put on hold while the police are investigating or while a criminal trial is still going on. This ensures the civil case doesn't get in the way of a criminal conviction.

Civil RightsCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

People convicted of or accused of federal sexual abuse, sex trafficking, or forced labor crimes would face a new avenue of legal liability. Even those whose victims' civil claims were previously time-barred could be sued during the one-year look-back window. The elimination of statutes of limitations for the most serious offenses means perpetrators could face civil lawsuits indefinitely, regardless of how long ago the crime occurred.

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Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 10, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S554-555; text: CR S555)

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Feb 10, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

news_articleCenter Left

Virginia's Law: How Democrat proposal could spark flood of sex abuse claims

news_articleCenter Left

Democrats introduce bill to end statute of limitations on civil sexual abuse cases

news_articleCenter

Democrats introduce 'Virginia's Law' alongside Epstein victims

news_articleCenter

Epstein survivors, Democrats unveil bill to end federal statute of limitations for sex trafficking

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Virginia's Law

Bill NumberS 3815

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S554-555; text: CR S555)

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Political Response

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.