[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3458-H3459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
       BREAKING THE SILENCE: ADDRESSING SEXUAL ASSAULT ON CAMPUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. ``Have courage and be kind.'' These were the words 
Megan Rondini left behind on a whiteboard in her school apartment.
  Yesterday, at a Sexual Assault on Campus Forum at Rice University in 
Houston, Texas, sponsored by the Victims' Rights Caucus, Megan's 
father, Mike Rondini, spoke these words. He is from Austin. He tries to 
live by these words every day.
  Megan Rondini was sexually assaulted while a student at the 
University of Alabama in 2015. Doing everything a sexual assault victim 
should do, Megan immediately called the police and went to the 
hospital, but the hospital did not have a sexual assault forensic 
examiner or a SANE on staff, meaning no one there was trained to 
properly deal with a sexual assault victim or properly collect DNA 
evidence for a rape kit.
  As a former prosecutor and a judge, I have seen, firsthand, the 
trauma and pain that rape causes victims. Sometimes that pain never 
goes away. The hospital's failure to provide adequate care left Megan 
feeling hopeless and alone.
  After the hospital, she went to the police station, and there she was 
treated with disdain. The police didn't believe her and instead read 
her, the victim--get this--the Miranda warnings. Are you kidding me? 
Rape is never the fault of the victim.
  When Megan sought counseling at the university, the counselor 
abruptly interrupted her and told her she was close to the family of 
the rapist and promptly turned Megan away, providing no other 
counselor.
  Megan was completely failed by the system--by the university, the 
hospital, and the police. Mr. Speaker, not long after, she took her 
life.
  Megan's story is heartbreaking, but her memory reminds us that we 
must be tenacious in fighting sexual assault on campus and everywhere 
else. The unfortunate reality, Mr. Speaker, is that stories like 
Megan's are common.
  Congressmen Olson, Culberson, and I joined together at the forum 
yesterday, and we all heard stories about this, firsthand, from 
victims. It is always personal. When victims are ignored and rejected, 
they feel like they have been abandoned, and in many cases, they have 
been. They are forced to relive their attack over and over again.
  Last year, I introduced, along with my friend, Carolyn Maloney, the 
bipartisan Megan Rondini Act, a bill that would require hospitals to 
provide access to a SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensics Examiner) or a SANE 
(Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) or have a plan in place to get a victim 
to a nearby hospital that can provide forensic medical services. 
Professor and sexual assault nurse examiner Nancy Downing from Texas 
A&M testified yesterday that by providing SANEs to rape victims, a 
hospital can dramatically improve a victim's chance to recover 
emotionally and medically from the attack.
  In addition, I am a cosponsor to Carolyn Maloney's (NY) bipartisan 
legislation to require colleges to have a sexual assault victim 
advocate on staff to assist and advise sexual assault victims. There 
should be no more school counselors that turn victims away.
  The director of public policy for Texas Association Against Sexual 
Assault, Chris Kaiser, also testified, and he talked about how the 
Association and other associations are working on many levels to 
provide a culture of change within law enforcement and the attitude of 
peace officers regarding this type of crime, and also, more reporting 
require.

[[Page H3459]]

  Treating victims like criminals is never okay. Remember, Mr. Speaker, 
rape is never the fault of the victim. As we become more aware of this 
dastardly crime, some schools, like Rice University, have made 
excellent strides to address sexual assault on campus. The Rice dean of 
undergraduates, Dr. John Hutchinson, and former Rice student body 
president, Justin Onwenu, both testified about the many positive 
proactive steps Rice has taken; a guide for other universities.
  Rice University requires all students to participate in a student-
driven 6-week course that teaches young college students to notice the 
signs of sexual assault and work to change the culture that allows 
sexual assault to occur on campus. It is work like this that will help 
foster a culture change where survivors of sexual assault will feel 
supported by our community.
  Sexual assault on campus must end. We must change the culture to 
prevent this crime. We must give victims support to recover and become 
survivors, and we must let offenders know they will be held accountable 
for their acts, and they will meet the law.
  Mr. Speaker, we should follow the words of Megan Rondini: ``Have 
courage, and be kind.''
  And that is just the way it is.

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