SUMMARY OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE BILL Sections 1 and 2 bring our law in closer alignment with the federal Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE Act) by (1) requiring the uniform campus crime reports to include incidences of sexual assault and intimate partner violence against students and employees that were reported to the institution of higher education (currently, our law only requires crimes occurring on campus to be reported), (2) adding employees of an institution to the law (section 10a-55m) such that the institutions' policies regarding sexual assault and intimate partner violence encompass employees as well as students, and (3) in subsection (d) of Section 2 (10a-55m), permitting institutions to provide the option for victims of sexual assault or intimate partner violence to report such assault or violence anonymously, provided maintaining the confidentiality of the individual does not violate state or federal law (the SaVE Act requires schools to protect confidentiality when reporting criminal threats to the campus community, which is slightly different, but we discussed making confidentiality permissible, rather than mandatory, at the victim reporting stage and I added the provision about compliance with federal and state law because that was a sticking point with various interested parties, including the AG's office, when we drafted the original bill in 2012). Subsection (e) of section 2 (10a-55m) requires institutions to provide written notice to each victim (student or employee), immediately upon receiving a report of an assault of intimate partner violence, of such victim's rights and options under the institution's policies. Subsection (f) of section 2 (10a-55m) requires annual reporting to the HED committee on each school's policies and its provision of written notification to victims. Section 3 requires each institution of higher education to establish a sexual assault response team (SART) for each of its campuses. The SART shall consist of individuals from the school's administration, counseling services, health services, women's center, police force or security personnel, faculty, staff, residential life and the judicial hearing board as well as from a community-based sexual assault crisis service center and the criminal justice system in the school's community. The SART will receive comprehensive training in awareness, prevention, the school's sexual assault and intimate partner violence policies, the state and federal law governing a school's response to sexual assault and intimate partner violence, the role and functions of each SART member and communicating sensitively and compassionately with victims. Most schools arleady have a SART, but this bill sets forth uniform requirements for those already in existence and calls for the establishment of a SART in the event one does not exist on a school's campus. Section 4 requires each institution of higher education to enter into a memorandum of understanding with at least one community-based sexual assault or intimate partner violence crisis service center for purposes of ensuring that student and employee victims can access free and confidential counseling and advocacy services and to establihs a partnership between such service center and the school, which will involve cross training to ensure the service center and the schools work well together in responding to sexual assault and intimate partner violence reports. BILL SUMMARY AN ACT CONCERNING SEXUAL ASSAULT AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE ON CAMPUS SUMMARY: This bill makes modifications to Public Act 78, An Act Concerning Sexual Violence on College Campuses, and aligns it with the requirements of the federal Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus including requiring public and private higher education institutions to (1) report incidences of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, (2) adopt, disclose, and provide written information on policies pertaining to students and employees who report or disclose being the victim of sexual assault or intimate partner violence, (3) train disciplinary proceeding officers annually, and (4) provide primary prevention and awareness programming to all students and employees. This bill also requires such institutions to (1) offer an anonymous reporting option for any student or employee to report or disclose sexual assault or intimate partner violence, (2) provide concise, written notification of a victim's rights and options to any student or employee who reports sexual assault or intimate partner violence, (3) report annually to the General Assembly, (4) establish a trained Sexual Assault Response Team, and (5) enter into and maintain an memorandum of understanding with a community-based sexual assault crisis service center. VICTIM CENTERED RESPONSE AND SERVICES Written Information and Assistance on Accessing Services and Reporting This bill requires higher education institutions to provide concise notification, written in plain language, to each student and employee of such institution who has been the victim of sexual assault or intimate partner violence, immediately upon receiving a report of such assault or violence, of such victirn's rights and options. Anonymous Reporting Option This bill requires higher education institutions to offer the option for any student or employee of such institution who is the victim of a sexual assault or intimate partner violence to report or disclose such assault or violence to such institution anonymously. Additionally, such institution shall notify any such student or employee of the institutions obligation under state and federal law, if any, to investigate such assault or violence. Partnership with Communz'ty--basea' Sexual Assault Crisis Service Center This bill requires higher education institutions to enter into and maintain a memorandum of understanding with a community-based sexual assault crisis service center for purposes of (1) ensuring that any student or victim of sexual assault or intimate partner violence can access free and confidential counseling and advocacy services, either on or off campus, (2) establishing a partnership with such service center including, but not limited to, involvement in the institution's sexual assault response team (SART) and trainings between the institution and such service center. AWARENESS, PREVENTION AND COORDINATION Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTS) This bill requires higher education institutions to establish trained sexual assault response teams that are responsible for addressing sexual violence and intimate partner violence. The SART shall consist of one member from (1) counseling services, health services, women's center, special police force or campus security, faculty, senior and mid--level staff, student body, residential life, and judicial board; (2) a community--based sexual assault crisis service center; and (3) the criminal justice system within the judicial district in which such institution of higher education is located, including, but not limited to, members of the state police and local police department and prosecutors employed by the Division of Criminal Justice. Each member of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) will receive comprehensive training in the awareness and prevention of sexual assault and intimate partner Violence, and communicating with and providing assistance to any such student or employee of the institution who is the victim of such assault or violence; (2) the sexual assault and intimate partner violence policies of such college or institution; (3) the provisions of Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act; (4) victim-centered response and the role of community- based sexual assault victim advocates; (5) the role and functions of each member of the SART for the purposes of ensuring a coordinated response to reported incidences of sexual assault and intimate partner violence; and (6) communicating sensitively and compassionately with the victims of such assault or violence and providing services to or assisting in locating services for such victims. Additionally, the Sexual Assault Response Team will review the sexual assault and intimate partner violence policies adopted by its institution of higher education and develop protocols for providing support and services to any student or employee who reports being the victim or sexual assault or intimate partner violence. SARTS must meet no less than once per semester. Primary Prevention Awareness Programming This bill requires each institution of higher education to provide (1) sexual assault and intimate partner violence primary prevention and awareness programming for all students and employees that includes an explanation of the definition of consent in sexual relationships, information concerning the reporting of incidences of such assaults and violence, and strategies for bystander intervention; and (2) ongoing sexual assault and intimate partner violence prevention and awareness campaigns. TRANSPARENCY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT elf-Reportin Mechanism This bill requires each institution of higher education to report annually to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education, (1) a copy of recent policies regarding sexual assault and intimate partner violence, (2) a copy of its most recent concise written notification, and (3) the number and types of prevention and awareness programs, the number of students and employees who received such programs, the number and types of prevention and awareness campaigns, the number of students and employees who participate in such campaigns, the number of incidences of sexual assault and intimate partner violence reported to the institution's Title IX coordinator, the number of confidential or anonymous reports or disclosures to the institution of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, the number of disciplinary cases at the institution related to sexual assault and intimate partner violence resolved through mediation, the number of disciplinary cases at the institution related to sexual assault and intimate partner violence resolved through both formal and informal hearings, and the final outcome of all disciplinary cases at the institution related to sexual assault and intimate partner violence, including, but not limited to, the outcome of any appeals of such final outcome.