A bill to create the office of the higher education sexual assault prevention, advocacy, and resource officer within the department of civil rights; to prescribe the powers and duties of the office, the advocacy officer, and certain state governmental officers and entities; and to provide for an appropriation.
The bill would create the "Higher Education Sexual Assault Prevention, Advocacy, and Resource Officer Act" to require the Department of Civil Rights to establish an Office with the same name as the Act. The executive officer of the Office (the advocacy officer) would have to advocate for students at institutions of higher education who could be victims of sexual assaults and encourage these institutions to improve the services they provide to assist students who could be victims of sexual assaults, among other things. Additionally, the bill would require any communication between the advocacy officer and any person regarding a possible sexual assault to be treated as confidential, except as provided in the Child Protection Law, and exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) any records possessed by the Office in the performance of an official function.
Co-sponsored by Sens.
Referred to the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety
