[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H10273-H10274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MEGAN RONDINI AND LEAH GRIFFIN SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Megan Rondini was a student at the 
University of Alabama. She originally was from Austin, Texas, but chose 
the University of Alabama as her school of choice. Megan went to school 
there.
  While she was a student, she came in contact with a former student 
whose nickname was ``Sweet T.'' He took her to his residence, which was 
literally a plantation home, and sexually assaulted her. Megan then 
jumped out of the second-story window of his residence and went to the 
hospital. That is where her nightmare continued.
  While Megan was at the hospital, the people in charge there didn't 
know how to deal with a sexual assault victim, and the sexual assault 
exam was botched.
  She left the hospital and went to the sheriff's department. They 
started interviewing her and found out that the alleged perpetrator was 
from an important family in the area. All of a sudden, they backed off, 
according to her. They didn't prosecute Sweet T. In fact, they read 
Megan a Miranda warning.
  Megan went to the University of Alabama and sought a counselor. The 
counselor found out who the alleged perpetrator was and said: ``I can't 
help you. This is a conflict of interest. I know this person.''
  The University of Alabama didn't provide her another counselor.
  Megan then went into a depression. She left the University of Alabama 
and transferred to SMU in Dallas, Texas. Shortly after she transferred 
to SMU, Megan Rondini took her own life. You see, Mr. Speaker, she got 
the death penalty for being a victim of crime. Nothing ever happened to 
the alleged perpetrator.
  There are a lot of problems and issues that came up with the way 
Megan was treated at the hospital and how she was treated at the 
sheriff's department and by the university. There was no sexual assault 
forensic examiner or sexual assault forensic nurse at the hospital to 
take care of her.
  And who are these people?
  These are wonderful people who are trained to deal with sexual 
assault victims. The hospital didn't have one of those for her. It 
turns out there are many hospitals in the country that

[[Page H10274]]

don't have these individuals to help sexual assault victims. They are 
trained to deal with victims exclusively.
  I have talked and met with Megan's parents, Cindi and Mike, who still 
live in Austin, and we have talked and met with a lot of Members of 
Congress on what we can do about this. We have filed H.R. 7292, a 
bipartisan bill. Issues regarding victims of crime are bipartisan.
  The Megan Rondini and Leah Griffin Sexual Assault Victims Protection 
Act provides for a task force and a multitude of other things so we can 
get this problem solved and have hospitals get it together so we treat 
sexual assault victims the way they should be treated.
  I am not going to go into all the details, but it is great, and 
bipartisan. It is cosponsored by Congresswoman Jayapal. We have many 
Members on both sides working on this issue to bring it to the House 
floor under suspension of the rules or unanimous consent to get this 
legislation passed.

                              {time}  1215

  It is my understanding, as of high noon today, that this legislation 
is not going to come to the floor of this Congress. It is my hope and 
desire that it comes next year when I am not here but other people take 
up the mantle to protect people like Megan Rondini and Leah Griffin.
  Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of lobbyists in Washington, D.C. I 
understand there are 5,000 lobbying groups. That is 10 for every Member 
of Congress up here, advocating on all kinds of things.
  Victims of crimes do not have high-dollar lobbyists. We are their 
voice. We are their only voice, Mr. Speaker. We ought to start acting 
like it and bring legislation to the floor on a bipartisan basis and 
not find excuses not to do it, because we are it. People like Megan 
Rondini are protected by the same Constitution that protects defendants 
of crime.
  It is important that we help those people and their families make 
sure that they don't continue to be victims of crime after the crime is 
committed. The system should not continue to make them victims of 
crime, whether it is the hospital, whether it is the sheriff's 
department or the university.
  I do want to say, Mr. Speaker, the University of Alabama has made 
some changes. Texas A&M has made changes due to the 12th Woman group 
and a group of victims at Texas A&M that are talking to Members of 
Congress, too.
  I hope that Congress will see this legislation as a priority and pass 
it, because it is the right thing to do, even if we have to wait until 
next year.
  And that is just the way it is, Mr. Speaker.

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