A bill that provides new legal avenues for the adult victims and survivors of sexual abuse was signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

The measure grants broader legal latitude for people to sue their abusers and, potentially, the institutions and organizations that may have shielded the abuser. 

Hochul signed the bill flanked by lawmakers, including state Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and state Sen. Brad Hoylman, as well as advocates who had pushed for the legislation. 

"There's so much trauma that comes with being a survivor of a sexual assault," Hochul said. "You have that shame, 'Did I do something wrong? Did I prove this?' Sometimes, there's fear, sometimes there's loss of memory. There's so many reasons it could take somebody years, literally decades to come forward with the truth about what happened to them." 

The law is based off of a similar measure known as the Child Victims Act, which allowed victims and survivors of childhood of abuse to file lawsuits.