[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 128 (Friday, July 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO REDUCE SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to speak in 
support of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act and the Megan 
Rondini Act. During August recess, students across the country will 
return to their universities, some will be freshmen, going to college 
for the first time. Therefore, I hope that Congress can take decisive 
action and pass these bills when we return in September. It is our 
responsibility to ensure all students are safe and secure when they are 
away from home and pursuing their college education.
   We cannot ignore the rise of sexual assault on college campuses 
across this country. RAAIN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence 
organization, reports one in six women in our nation have been the 
victim of rape or attempted rape. College-aged women are three to four 
times more likely to experience sexual assault. Unfortunately when many 
of these women seek medical attention and justice through their 
universities, they find neither.
   I have the privilege of representing the University of Alabama, the 
fastest growing flagship university in the country. As our universities 
grow and the number of sexual assault victims grow, it is imperative 
that universities become the allies of all students, especially victims 
of sexual assault.
   I am proud to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring the Campus 
Accountability and Security Act. The proposed legislation would 
increase accountability and transparency between universities and 
students and ensure safer university environments. Schools will be 
responsible for providing essential resources for victims, like 
confidential advisers and well-trained campus personnel. This training 
will teach campus personnel the neurobiological effects of trauma and 
stress on the victim and their memory, ensuring that the students 
receive victim-centered, trauma-informed interviews.
   For every one-thousand rapes in the United States only fifty-seven 
reports will lead to arrest; only six of these will result in the 
incarceration of a rapist. This bill would require that campus 
authorities coordinate with local law enforcement and share information 
when a crime occurs. Pursuant to the Cleary Act of 1990, universities 
are required to keep and make public information about assault cases 
and other crimes. This current bill will create stronger penalties for 
universities that do not comply with their responsibilities laid out by 
the Cleary Act.
   Likewise, my colleagues Representative Maloney and Representative 
Poe introduced H.R. 3415, the Megan Rondini Act of 2017 this week. This 
bipartisan bill requires hospitals to have a Sexual Assault Forensic 
Examiner, also known as a SAFE, or an alternative plan that gets 
victims to a nearby hospital with access to these resources. Requiring 
that SAFEs are available to victims 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 
results in both the proper medical attention and the preservation of 
the evidence necessary to litigate the assault.
   I urge all the members of Congress to support the Campus 
Accountability and Security Act, the Megan Rondini Act and any other 
legislation that would protect victims of sexual violence on our 
college campuses.

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