U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) today announced the reintroduction of the bipartisan and bicameral Campus Accountability and Safety Act, legislation that would combat sexual assault on college and university campuses. The bill would improve the way institutions of higher education address and report incidents of sexual assault that take place on their campuses, and it would protect both survivors and accused students by ensuring that schools have a uniform and fair process for investigating and conducting campus disciplinary proceedings. Additionally, it would create new resources and support services for survivors and set new notification requirements for both survivors and accused students involved in the campus disciplinary process.
“Sexual assault on college campuses remains a major and pervasive problem, but Congress has not taken the necessary action to address it,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act would reform how institutions of higher learning address and report incident of sexual assault and would dedicate new resources to survivors. This important measure would increase accountability and ensure a fair process for campus disciplinary action.”
“Our bill is a coordinated approach to addressing incidents of sexual assault on college campuses. It would inform university protocols for handling reports, while also strengthening recovery resources for survivors and empowering them to know their rights,” Senator Grassley said. “Inconsistent enforcement mechanisms are failing to treat the crime of sexual assault with the seriousness it deserves. Congress ought to act swiftly on this bipartisan legislation to change that.”
“One in five women and one in sixteen men experience sexual assault on college campuses. Due to stigma and complex systems, many survivors don’t report sexual violence, much less pursue justice through their university’s system, and many perpetrators are never held accountable,” said Rep. Ro Khanna. “I’m proud to lead this bipartisan bill with my colleagues to increase transparency, provide resources for survivors, and reduce barriers in the reporting process.”
“Sexual assault on college campuses continues to be a crisis that demands our immediate action. And, as with all crimes, weak enforcement and insufficient accountability only embolden perpetrators to act with impunity. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation is a commitment to our students that we are taking action: action to ensure their safety and action to hold our educational institutions accountable by transforming how sexual assault and violence are handled and addressed. By demanding greater transparency, enforcing stringent accountability measures, and providing essential resources and support to victims, we can eliminate the toxic culture of inaction that has plagued our campuses for too long and create a safer environment for our students,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick (PA-1).
Specifically, the Campus Accountability and Safety Act would:
- Increase transparency and reporting requirements under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act by mandating that the institution’s website include campus safety policies, an annual security report, instructions for filing a complaint, and statistics of sexual misconduct allegations on campus.
- Create sexual and interpersonal violence specialists at each institution to serve as confidential aides for victims.
- Ensure that sexual and interpersonal violence specialists are well-trained by requiring training created by the Department of Education.
- Ensure that individuals who report sexual misconduct in good faith are not punished for any physical violence or assault as a defense, or alcohol or drug use, that is revealed by that report.
- Expand the VAWA Campus Grant Program to also address sexual harassment on campuses.
- Requires the comptroller general to study the effectiveness of VAWA grants and submit a report to Congress within 2 years of enactment.