Bill > S05965

This bill mandates that colleges and universities in New York implement comprehensive policies and procedures for preventing and responding to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, including defining affirmative consent as a knowing, voluntary, and mutual agreement to engage in sexual activity, and establishing an alcohol and drug use amnesty policy for those reporting such incidents. It also outlines a "students' bill of rights" ensuring fair treatment and protection from retaliation, and requires institutions to provide clear information about reporting options, confidential disclosures, and available resources, while also mandating annual campus climate assessments to gauge awareness and student experiences. Furthermore, the bill enhances privacy protections for students involved in legal challenges to disciplinary findings by making their names presumptively confidential, establishes a specialized state police unit to assist with campus sexual assault investigations, and appropriates significant funding to support these initiatives, including resources for rape crisis centers and college campus training programs.