Today US Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is introducing The Bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The legislation will address sexual assault on college and university campuses throughout the nation. The bill has bipartisan support with sponsorship from Republican Senators Heller (R-NV), Grassley (R-IA), Ayotte (R-NH) and Rubio (R-FL) and Democratic Senators Blumenthal (D-CT) and Gillibrand (D-NY). Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) will introduce a companion bill in the House.
Key provisions of the bill include:
- Establishing new campus resources and support services for student survivors of sexual assault.
- Ensuring minimum training standards for on-campus personnel.
- Creating new historic transparency requirements.
- Increasing campus accountability and coordination with law enforcement.
- Establishing enforceable Title IX penalties and stiffer penalties for Clery Act violations.
Earlier this summer, McCaskill held a series of roundtable discussions on campus sexual assault and requested over 400 colleges and universities complete a survey on the topic as well.