[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S5219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. 
        Hirono):
  S. 1801. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require 
institutions of higher education to have an independent advocate for 
campus sexual assault prevention and response, to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, sexual assault is a major issue on our 
Nation's college campuses. Too many young people are sexually assaulted 
while in school. Alarmingly, the majority of these crimes will go 
unreported. The consequences of these crimes are often destructive to a 
student's mental, physical, and emotional well-being. In addition, the 
trauma of the assault and its aftermath drives many survivors to drop 
out of school.
  Sexual assault survivors deserve access to a safe and supportive 
educational environment. I have met with students in Virginia and 
across the Country who have expressed the need for someone on campus to 
turn to for unbiased advice and guidance following an assault. Given 
the prevalence of this issue, it is clear that our federal higher 
education policy must do more to prevent sexual assaults and ensure 
that survivors have access to and can navigate through a plethora of 
resources.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce today the Survivor Outreach and 
Support Campus Act of 2017 or SOS Campus Act. The SOS Campus Act 
requires universities that receive Federal funding to establish an 
independent, on-campus advocate for survivors of sexual assault. The 
advocate will help students access all of the resources available to 
them, both on and off campus, in the wake of a sexual assault and will 
guide them through the process of reporting their assault if they 
choose to do so, acting always in the interests of the victim, not the 
university.
  The SOS Campus Act requires that the confidential advocate is 
responsible for ensuring that survivors, regardless of whether they 
decide to report the crime, have access to emergency and follow-up 
medical care, guidance on reporting assaults to law enforcement, 
medical forensic or evidentiary exams, crisis intervention, and 
information on their legal rights. The advocate will also conduct a 
public information campaign on campus to inform students of their 
services, and train other university staff to provide information to 
students about the advocate.
  I am proud to introduce this legislation that would ensure all 
college students across our Country have access to a supportive 
advocate following a sexual assault on campus. I strongly ertdourage my 
colleagues in the Senate to consider this legislation to help protect 
our students from sexual violence and its damaging impact.

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