Bipartisan Coalition of House Members Will Reintroduce Campus Accountability and Safety Act Companion

Press Release

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Congressman Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and a bipartisan coalition of other House members will soon introduce the House companion to the Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA), which was today unveiled by a bipartisan group of eight Senators. Maloney introduced similar legislation in the 113th Congress with a bipartisan group of 18 House members.

"I am working to assemble a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to support passage of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act in the House," said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY). "I am deeply disturbed by the shocking statistics and accounts of sexual violence on campuses. Surviving sexual assault shouldn't be part of getting a college degree. Our legislation is vital to addressing the causes and outcomes of these sex crimes."

"As a prosecutor, I worked closely with the victims of sexual assault," said Congressman Patrick Meehan (R-PA). "This bipartisan legislation takes prudent steps to improve protections for victims and get them the resources they need in the wake of attack. No American student should have to fear sexual assault on a college campus."

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Congressman David Joyce (R-OH), Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL), Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH), and Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) plan to cosponsor the measure. A full list of original cosponsors will be announced when the legislation is introduced.

"I'm so encouraged this legislation will be reintroduced in the 114th Congress," said Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) "Campus sexual assault is a serious crime affecting too many young people that must be proactively addressed. Our higher education administrators need more guidance and more access to best practices in learning how to prevent assaults, support victims and adjudicate cases in the most effective and fair manner. This legislation will help accomplish these goals."

"No student should live in fear of being the victim of sexual assault, and we must work together to protect students, empower survivors, and hold perpetrators fully accountable," said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL). "I am proud to help lead this continued bipartisan effort to combat the sexual assault crisis we are grappling with on America's college campuses. Sexual assault is a staggeringly common and underreported crime that our bill will help put an end to and ensure its survivors are not being swept under the rug."

"This bipartisan legislation aims at making our college campuses safer so that students can learn in a secure environment and parents can have peace of mind," said Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL).

"I am pleased that both Republicans and Democrats have come together to re-introduce this vital legislation," said Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS). "Last year, I had the opportunity to discuss this bill with students and faculty at the University of Kansas and listen to their concerns. There is good work being done there and across the country to address campus safety, but this bill is an opportunity to greatly improve this important effort. We will continue to work tirelessly until all college campuses are places that foster learning and not places where the safety of their students are at an increased risk."

"As a former prosecutor with two daughters in college, we need to do everything we can to stop sexual assault on college campuses," said Congressman David Joyce (R-OH). "I'm glad to support this bill with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to ensure these crimes will be fully prosecuted and, more importantly, we can provide more tools to try and prevent them from occurring."

"No student should ever feel unsafe on his or her college campus, the place they call home for four years. We must ensure that our schools have the tools and resources they need to address and prevent the extremely disturbing prevalence of sexual assault on campus," said Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), who has been working with college officials, law enforcement, and students in her district to establish a plan for preventing sexual assault at colleges. I'm proud to help reintroduce this legislation, which will increase transparency at schools and help ensure action is being taken to tackle this problem head on."

CASA takes aim at addressing sexual assaults on college and university campuses by protecting and empowering students, strengthening accountability and transparency for institutions and establishing stiff penalties for non-compliance with the legislation's new standards for training, data and best practices. The legislation this Congress incorporates feedback from a range of stakeholders and makes changes to strengthen the climate surveys, coordination with local law enforcement, rights to due process, and the role of a confidential advisor, as well as creating a new competitive grant to research best practices for improving prevention of and response to sexual assault on our nation's campuses.

Maloney has previously led efforts to address campus sexual assault. The 2013 Violence Against Women Act reauthorization included the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, sponsored by Rep. Maloney in the House, which mandated changes to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). The Department of Education issued final regulation in October 2014 to fully implement the law.

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