“Delivering justice to sexual abuse survivors is something we take very seriously, and the Senate Democrats have helped lead this important fight,” said Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Westchester County Democrat who leads the Senate, when asked about the prospects for Mr. Hoylman’s bill. “We look forward to continuing this next session.”

The state recently changed the statute of limitations for some categories of sex crimes like rape, expanding it to up to 20 years for both civil and criminal cases. Before that, however, the statute was generally just one year for civil cases and five for criminal matters. And while the statute was expanded, it covered only cases going forward, not retroactively.

Mr. Hoylman’s bill would change that, allowing civil suits to look back “indefinitely,” he said.

“There’s an implicit recognition that the statutes prior to this year were insufficient,” said Mr. Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat. “It makes sense as a matter of restorative justice to give past survivors an opportunity for their day in court.”

Ms. Ornelas was one of nearly a dozen women who filed a class-action suit last year against Mr. Rofé, accusing him of making unwanted sexual advances under the pretense that his actions were necessary to improve their work.

The lawsuit was dismissed in June, largely because the statute of limitations had expired. The passage of time in such cases has also complicated efforts to bring criminal charges; the New York City Police Department opened an investigation of Mr. Rofé in 2018, but no charges have been filed.

Mr. Rofé, who has closed his studios in Manhattan and Irvington, N.Y., could not be reached for comment.

“It diminished all of our experiences,” Ms. Ornelas said in an interview. “How can that be?”

Jordan K. Merson, a personal injury lawyer in Manhattan who represents Ms. Ornelas, also has several clients who were abused by Mr. Epstein after they turned 18. He said Mr. Hoylman’s bill would give his clients a means to pursue depositions and other public accounts of their attackers’ actions.