Home California College Campus Sexual Assault Legislative Package Receives Early Support from Legislature

College Campus Sexual Assault Legislative Package Receives Early Support from Legislature

by ECT

SACRAMENTO–Assemblymember Das Williams (D – Carpinteria), immediate past Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, has announced the passage of AB 968 from the Committee on Higher Education. AB 968 establishes a standard notation for all postsecondary schools to indicate periods of suspension and expulsion on a student transcript. The bill is one of three measures that seek to improve the collection and sharing of such information, more readily.

“In order to make campuses a safer place, survivors must come forward. But survivors can only be expected to come forward if they know perpetrators will be held accountable,” said Assemblymember Williams. “This notation could serve as a flag for admissions officers, allowing them to determine whether a potential student has committed such an assault.”

Assemblymember Williams held three Roundtable discussions at University of California campuses throughout the state in response to reports on campus sexual assault. From those discussions, Assemblymember Williams has proposed the following Campus Sexual Assault Legislative Package:

  • AB 967 – Requires the college campus adjudication process to establish a minimum sentence of at least two years suspension up to expulsion if the individual is found guilty of sexual assault. This bill will also require campuses to report and disclose adjudication outcomes for sexual assault offenses.
  • AB 968 – Requires the university academic transcripts to include a notation to indicate on a student’s transcript when the student is ineligible to reenroll due to suspension or expulsion.
  • AB 969 – Clarifies existing statute to allow California Community Colleges (CCC) to suspend or expel a student for conduct that threatened the safety of students and/or the public that occur off campus. Additionally, the bill would require students to disclose in the application process if they were dismissed from a college campus due to campus sexual assault and requires a hearing before the local governing board to determine whether to enroll the student if they were dismissed previously from an institution for sexual assault.

An estimated one in five women and one in seven men will experience a sexual assault during their college career. Research suggests that less than 5% of these incidents will be reported to law enforcement.

Assemblymember Williams will continue to bring together a coalition of stakeholders, students, community leaders, and elected officials to address the severity of this problem through legislation.

Website: www.asm.ca.gov/Williams

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