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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 18, 2021 11:55 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Steven J. Santarsiero |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | “It’s on Us!” Notification of Sexual Violence Victim Rights on College Campuses |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that will require institutions of higher education to provide students and employees with a written notification of rights, protective measures, and accommodations afforded to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Sexual violence on college campuses is a real and pervasive problem. Recent studies indicate that female college students are at least three times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault than the general female population. Male college students are also 78 percent more likely to be a victim of sexual assault than non-student males in the same age cohort. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted while in college. Sexual assault and domestic violence can have a devasting impact on a victim’s physical and emotional health, not to mention their academic performance. Colleges and Universities have a unique responsibility to provide resources and support to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence that occur on their campuses. These institutions need to do a better job of educating students about the resources currently available and providing reasonable accommodations to victims. My legislation will amend Crime Victims Act of 1998 (P.L. 882, No. 111), by requiring colleges and universities to provide a written notification to students and employees, informing them of the rights, accommodations, and protective measures available to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. It also directs these institutions to provide accommodations and protective measures to victims, regardless of whether the victim chooses to file a police report. This bill is based on a proposal that was originally part of the White House’s “It’s on Us” Campaign to End Sexual Assault on Campus. I hope that you will join me in supporting this important piece of legislation |
Introduced as SB909