Bill > S679

This bill aims to enhance protections and resources for victims of sexual violence on higher education campuses by mandating comprehensive policies and procedures. It requires institutions to provide detailed information on sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence, including reporting procedures, evidence preservation, and access to advocacy, counseling, and health services. The bill also mandates that institutions offer assistance in changing academic or living situations for victims and outlines specific disciplinary procedures for sexual violence cases, ensuring fairness and timely resolution. Furthermore, it establishes a campus safety advisor within the Department of Higher Education to coordinate and disseminate best practices, requires institutions to post hotline information and details about rape kit facilities on their websites, and mandates annual reporting of sexual violence case statistics. The bill also introduces definitions for key terms like "awareness programming," "bystander intervention," "intimate partner violence," "responsible employee," "primary prevention programming," "sexual assault," "stalking," and "trauma-informed response," and requires institutions to enter into memorandums of understanding with sexual assault crisis services and law enforcement agencies. It also introduces the option for anonymous reporting and establishes confidential advisor roles to support victims, ensuring their rights and options are clearly communicated. Finally, the bill mandates annual training for responsible employees and those involved in grievance procedures on handling sexual violence complaints, and requires the integration of a Threat Response Program for emergency communications.