[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6813-6814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am here to thank my colleagues for 
their strong, overwhelming, bipartisan support for the Sexual Assault 
Survivors' Bill of Rights, an act that I have been proud to help lead 
and champion, along with my colleagues, Senators Shaheen and Leahy. It 
is a cause that I championed as a prosecutor and law enforcer in my 
State, as the Federal prosecutor, U.S. attorney, and then as our 
attorney general in the State of Connecticut. It is a cause that 
deserves this kind of overwhelming, bipartisan support because for too 
long survivors of sexual assault have been denied the basic care and 
rights they need and deserve, and for too long they have been 
victimized twice--first by an assailant who fundamentally violated 
their rights and then by the court system and a law enforcement system 
that failed to respect and recognize their need for those rights to be 
enforced effectively.
  When a survivor of sexual assault engages the criminal justice 
system, she must be secure, absolutely confident and trusting in her 
rights and empowered to make informed decisions. Reporting sexual 
assault requires incredible courage, bravery beyond the imagination of 
many who fail to understand how much courage is required, and too often 
the system fails to respect those rights. She deserves a system that is 
worthy of that bravery.
  Too often, survivors are simply uninformed about what is happening, 
not told about basic evidence and proceedings, and they find that vital 
evidence was destroyed without their consent or encounter Byzantine 
procedural barriers to justice. That is wrong.
  This bill represents important steps toward a system that mirrors 
unsparing prosecution of people who commit these heinous offenses with 
sensitive and fair treatment of survivors.
  Currently, depending on the jurisdiction, there are a wide array of 
different practices and procedures. Sexual assault victims often 
experience a complex and cryptic maze of policies that deter those 
survivors from pursuing justice.
  This legislation will address unique challenges faced by sexual 
assault survivors, particularly regarding notice, access, and 
preservation of evidence. The preservation of evidence is particularly 
important because the sexual assault evidence collection kits are 
absolutely vital to justice and successful prosecution.
  This bill would empower survivors to make more informed decisions 
throughout the criminal justice process by supporting State efforts to 
better notify survivors of available resources as well as applicable 
State rights and policies.
  Finally, the bill will establish a joint Department of Justice and 
Health and Human Services working group to more effectively implement 
best practices regarding the care and treatment of survivors across the 
country--a beacon of information and leadership from the Federal 
Government to assure that sexual assault survivors are treated with the 
respect they need and deserve. It is that simple.
  This legislation does not address every barrier faced by victims of 
sexual

[[Page 6814]]

assault. There is no question that more action is needed. To achieve 
that, State and local governments must follow suit and must create a 
culture, a changed culture of compassion for people who have 
experienced this heinous crime. It is a crime, and it should be treated 
as one of the most serious and outrageous crimes that anyone can 
commit. Today the Senate has sent a message that we side with 
survivors. We are on their side. We will do everything in our power to 
lighten the burden and pain they bear and help them seek both justice 
and healing, which they truly deserve.
  I thank my great friends and colleagues Senator Shaheen and Senator 
Leahy for their leadership on this issue. I have been proud to join 
with them. I thank the Connecticut groups CONNSACS, the Permanent 
Commission on the Status of Women, and the many leaders in Connecticut 
who have made our State such an important engineer of progress in this 
area.
  Again, it is a journey that must be continued. The Permanent 
Commission on the Status of Women has done great work and provided 
important leadership in this area. I thank Amanda Nguyen for her 
courage and hard work to make this day a reality. All of my colleagues 
who joined today in supporting this measure can be proud of the work we 
have done, the leadership we have shown, and the bipartisanship it 
took.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________