Reps. Maloney and Meehan Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Campus Sexual Assault

Statement

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12), sponsor of the Campus SaVE Act, and Congressman Pat Meehan (R-PA-7) reintroduced the bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA) to combat sexual assault on college campuses. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced the Senate companion bill.

"While we've made some progress to protect victims of campus sexual assault with the Campus SaVE Act, which I introduced and became law in 2013, more work is needed to reverse the troublesome persistence of sexual assault on college campuses," said Rep. Maloney. "CASA is a bipartisan bill that would address ambiguities in the law, beef up protections for victims, improve reporting and training at campuses, and strengthen enforcement. Rape is a horrific crime that exacts a physical and psychological toll on survivors and an entire community. Students should never feel they are unsafe on their campuses."

"Just this week in Washington, I stood with Connie Clery, founder of the Clery Center, one of the nation's leading advocacy groups for safe campuses. Connie's daughter Jeanne was brutally murdered 31 years ago today, and for decades -- first as a prosecutor, now as a lawmaker -- I've worked with Connie to make our campuses safer for young women. Connie's efforts led to the enactment of the landmark Clery Act, which took tremendous steps to improve on-campus safety and reporting," said Rep. Meehan. "The legislation we're introducing today continues this vital effort, and it builds on the work done by a Campus Sexual Violence Task Force I established in my own district. It will help campus personnel prevent assaults and sexual violence -- and ensure they know how to respond and care for victims when such acts occur. It strengthens cooperation between schools and law enforcement, and it stiffens penalties for Clery Act violations. I'm pleased to work with my colleague Rep. Maloney on this bill and I thank her for her continued partnership on this issue."

Background

The Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA) would:

Establish stiff, enforceable penalties for violations of the Clery Act.
Ensure campus authorities coordinate with local law enforcement to delineate roles and share information when a crime occurs.
Establish new resources for survivors of campus sexual assault, including Sexual Assault Response Coordinators to provide information and coordinate support services.
Establish a uniform process to adjudicate sexual assault cases, and ensure on-campus personnel receive proper training.
Establish a biennial, confidential survey of students about sexual violence on campus.

Source