II 

Calendar No. 176 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1280 

[Report No. 112–82] 

To amend the Peace Corps Act to require sexual assault risk-reduction and 

response training, the development of sexual assault protocol and guidelines, the establishment of victims advocates, the establishment of a 

Sexual Assault Advisory Council, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 27, 2011 

Mr. ISAKSON (for himself, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. 

COONS, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. BARRASSO, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. 

NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. CASEY, 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. BURR, Mr. 

KIRK, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. BENNET) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Peace Corps Act to require sexual assault 

risk-reduction and response training, the development of 

sexual assault protocol and guidelines, the establishment 


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of victims advocates, the establishment of a Sexual Assault Advisory Council, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Kate Puzey Peace 

5 Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER PROTECTION. 

7 The Peace Corps Act is amended by inserting after 

8 section 8 (22 U.S.C. 2507) the following new sections: 

9 ‘‘SEXUAL ASSAULT RISK-REDUCTION AND RESPONSE

10 TRAINING

11 ‘‘SEC. 8A. (a) IN GENERAL.—As part of the training 

12 provided to all volunteers under section 8(a), the Director 

13 of the Peace Corps shall develop and implement com14 prehensive sexual assault risk-reduction and response 

15 training that conforms to best practices in the sexual as16 sault field as appropriate for first responders and other 

17 staff. 

18 ‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT AND CONSULTATION WITH EX19 PERTS.—In developing the sexual assault risk-reduction 

20 and response training under subsection (a), the Director 

21 of the Peace Corps shall consult with and incorporate, as 

22 appropriate, the recommendations and views of experts in 

23 the sexual assault field. 


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1 ‘‘(c) SUBSEQUENT TRAINING.—Once a trainee has 

2 arrived in the trainee’s country of service, the Director of 

3 the Peace Corps shall provide the trainee with training 

4 tailored to the country, including cultural training relating 

5 to gender relations, risk-reduction strategies, a safety plan 

6 in the event of an assault, treatment available in such 

7 country (such as forensic rape exams, PEP for HIV expo8 sure, STD screening, and pregnancy testing), MedEvac 

9 procedures, and information regarding the legal process 

10 for pressing charges against an attacker. 

11 ‘‘(d) HISTORICAL ANALYSIS.—The Director of the 

12 Peace Corps shall provide each applicant for enrollment 

13 with a historical analysis of crimes and risks against vol14 unteers in the country in which the applicant has been 

15 invited to serve. 

16 ‘‘(e) CONTACT INFORMATION.—The Director of the 

17 Peace Corps shall provide each trainee, before each such 

18 trainee enrolls as a volunteer, with— 

19 ‘‘(1) the contact information of the Inspector 

20 General of the Peace Corps for purposes of reporting 

21 violations of the sexual assault protocol under sec22 tion 8B or any other criminal or administrative 

23 wrongdoing by volunteers, personnel (including ex24 perts and consultants), or other individuals (includVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:30 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1280.RS S1280

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1 ing contractors) who do business with the Peace 

2 Corps; and 

3 ‘‘(2) clear, written guidelines regarding whom 

4 to contact, including the direct telephone number for 

5 a victim advocate and what steps to take in the 

6 event of a sexual assault. 

7 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section and sections 8B 

8 through 8G: 

9 ‘‘(1) ASSAULT.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘assault’ 

11 means an act that— 

12 ‘‘(i) creates an apprehension in an in13 dividual of an imminent, harmful, or offen14 sive contact; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) is a harmful or offensive touch16 ing. 

17 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘assault’ in18 cludes stalking and sexual assault. 

19 ‘‘(2) SEXUAL ASSAULT.—The term ‘sexual as20 sault’ means any conduct described in chapter 109A 

21 of title 18, United States Code, relating to 

22 aggrevated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual 

23 conduct, whether or not the conduct occurs in the 

24 special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the 

25 United States, and includes both assaults committed 


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1 by offenders who are strangers to the victim and as2 saults committed by offenders who are known or re3 lated by blood or marriage to the victim. 

4 ‘‘(3) STALKING.—The term ‘stalking’ means 

5 engaging in a course of conduct directed at a spe6 cific person that would cause a reasonable person 

7 to— 

8 ‘‘(A) fear for his or her safety or the safety 

9 of others; or 

10 ‘‘(B) suffer substantial emotional distress. 

11 ‘‘(4) INCLUSION OF TRAINEES.—The term ‘vol12 unteers’ includes trainees. 

13 ‘‘SEXUAL ASSAULT PROTOCOL AND GUIDELINES

14 ‘‘SEC. 8B. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 

15 Peace Corps shall develop and implement comprehensive 

16 sexual assault protocol and guidelines that— 

17 ‘‘(1) conform to best practices in the sexual assault 

18 field; and 

19 ‘‘(2) are applicable to all posts at which volunteers 

20 serve. 

21 ‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT AND CONSULTATION WITH EX22 PERTS.—In developing the sexual assault policy under 

23 subsection (a), the Director of the Peace Corps shall con24 sult with and incorporate, as appropriate, the rec25 ommendations and views of experts in the sexual assault 

26 field. 


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1 ‘‘(c) ELEMENTS.—The sexual assault protocol and 

2 guidelines developed under subsection (a) shall include, at 

3 a minimum, the following services with respect to a volun4 teer who has been a victim of sexual assault: 

5 ‘‘(1) Protection of such volunteer’s confidentiality. 

6 ‘‘(2) Provision of a victim’s advocate to the volunteer. 

7 ‘‘(3) Provision of a sexual assault forensic evidence 

8 kit to the volunteer upon request. 

9 ‘‘(4) Provision of emergency health care to the volun10 teer, including, to the greatest extent practicable, a choice 

11 of medical providers and a mechanism for such volunteer 

12 to evaluate such provider. 

13 ‘‘(5) Provision of counseling and psychiatric 

14 medecine. 

15 ‘‘(6) Completion of a safety and treatment plan with 

16 the volunteer. 

17 ‘‘(7) Evacuation of the volunteer, accompanied by a 

18 Peace Corps staffer at the request of such volunteer. 

19 ‘‘(8) An explanation to the volunteer of available law 

20 enforcement, prosecutorial options, and legal representa21 tion. 

22 ‘‘(d) DISTRIBUTION AND TRAINING.—The Director 

23 of the Peace Corps shall distribute to and train all in24 country staff regarding the sexual assault protocol and 

25 guidelines developed under subsection (a). 


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1 ‘‘(e) REMOVAL AND ASSESSMENT AND EVALUA2 TION.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a volunteer feels at risk 

4 of imminent bodily harm and requests removal from 

5 the site in which such volunteer is serving, the Di6 rector of the Peace Corps shall, as expeditiously as 

7 practical after receiving such request, remove the 

8 volunteer from the site. If the Director of the Peace 

9 Corps receives such a request, the Director of the 

10 Peace Corps shall assess and evaluate the safety of 

11 such site and may not assign another volunteer to 

12 the site until such time as the assessment and eval13 uation is complete and the site has been determined 

14 to be safe. 

15 ‘‘(2) DETERMINATION OF SITE AS UNSAFE.— 

16 Volunteers may remain at a site during an assess17 ment and evaluation under paragraph (1). If the Di18 rector the Peace Corps determines that a site is un19 safe, the Director of the Peace Corps shall, as expe20 ditiously as practical, remove all volunteers from the 

21 site. 

22 ‘‘(f) SEXUAL ASSAULT RESPONSE TEAMS.—The Di23 rector of the Peace Corps shall establish sexual assault 

24 response teams, including Safety and Security Officers, 


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1 medical staff, and a victim advocate, that can respond to 

2 reports of sexual assault against a volunteer. 

3 ‘‘(g) CASE REVIEW.—The Director of the Peace 

4 Corps shall conduct case reviews of a statistically signifi5 cant number of cases on a quarterly basis to determine 

6 if proper procedures were followed in accordance with the 

7 sexual assault protocols and guidelines developed under 

8 subsection (a) and including the elements specified in sub9 section (c). 

10 ‘‘(h) TRACKING AND RECORDING.—The Director of 

11 the Peace Corps shall establish a global tracking and re12 cording system to track and record incidents of assault 

13 against volunteers. 

14 ‘‘(i) PROHIBITION ON COMBINING INCIDENTS.—The 

15 Director of the Peace Corps may not combine into one 

16 incident for purposes of tracking and recording under sub17 section (h) reports by different volunteers of assault 

18 against such volunteers even if such assaults were com19 mitted by one individual against such volunteers at any 

20 one time. 

21 ‘‘(j) ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS.—The Director of the 

22 Peace Corps shall establish an alternative reporting sys23 tem and hotline access system through which volunteers 

24 who are victims of assault can report and receive support 


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1 on an anonymous basis. The alternative systems shall be 

2 published in the Volunteer Handbook. 

3 ‘‘VICTIMS ADVOCATES

4 ‘‘SEC. 8C. (a) VICTIMS ADVOCATES.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Peace 

6 Corps shall assign a certified victims advocate in 

7 Peace Corps headquarters who shall report directly 

8 to the Director. The Director of the Peace Corps 

9 shall assign not fewer than three additional certified 

10 victims advocates to assist the victims advocate. The 

11 additional victims advocates shall have regional ex12 pertise and may be posted abroad if the victims ad13 vocate determines that it is necessary. 

14 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—Peace Corps Medical Offi15 cers, Safety and Security Officers, and program 

16 staff may not serve as victims advocates. The vic17 tims advocate and additional victims advocates may 

18 not have any other duties in the Peace Corps. 

19 ‘‘(3) EXEMPTION.—The victims advocate and 

20 additional victims advocates shall be exempt from 

21 the five year rule on appointments and assignments 

22 under section 7(a)(5). 

23 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The victims advocate and 

24 additional victims advocates shall help develop and imple25 ment the sexual assault risk-reduction and response train26 ing described in section 8A and the sexual assault protocol 


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1 and guidelines described in section 8B and ensure such 

2 training and such protocol and guidelines are being prop3 erly updated and followed. The victims advocate and addi4 tional victims advocates shall assist volunteers who are vic5 tims of assault by making such victims aware of the serv6 ices specified in section 8B(c) available to them and facili7 tating their access to such services. 

8 ‘‘(c) STATUS UPDATES.—The victims advocate and 

9 additional victims advocates shall provide to volunteers 

10 who are victims of assault regular updates on the status 

11 of their cases if such volunteers have opted to pursue pros12 ecution. 

13 ‘‘(d) TRANSITION.—A victims advocate who is work14 ing with a volunteer who is a victim of assault and who 

15 relocates back to the United States shall assist the volun16 teer to receive the services specified in section 8B(c) re17 quired by such volunteer, including through the duration 

18 of the claim with the Department of Labor, even after the 

19 volunteer is medically separated. 

20 ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ADVISORY

21 COUNCIL

22 ‘‘SEC. 8D. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab23 lished in the Peace Corps a Sexual Assault Advisory Coun24 cil (in this section referred to as the ‘Council’). 

25 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall be composed 

26 of individuals selected by the Director of the Peace Corps 


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1 who are returned volunteers (including volunteers who 

2 were victims of sexual assault and volunteers who were 

3 not victims of sexual assault) and governmental and non4 governmental experts and professionals in the sexual as5 sault field. 

6 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS; MEETINGS.—The Council shall 

7 meet not less often than annually to review the sexual as8 sault risk-reduction and response training developed under 

9 section 8A, sexual assault policy developed under section 

10 8B, and the confidentiality policy developed under section 

11 8F to ensure that such training and policies conform to 

12 best practices in the sexual assault field. 

13 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.—The Council shall annually submit 

14 to the Director of the Peace Corps and the Committee 

15 on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations 

16 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

17 Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations 

18 of the Senate a report on its findings based on the reviews 

19 conducted pursuant to subsection (c). 

20 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Coun21 cil shall not be considered Federal employees for any pur22 pose and shall not receive compensation other than reim23 bursement of travel expenses and per diem allowance. 


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1 ‘‘(f) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal 

2 Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply 

3 to the Council. 

4 ‘‘VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK AND PEACE CORPS REVIEW

5 ‘‘SEC. 8E. (a) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.—Not 

6 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 

7 section, the Director of the Peace Corps shall establish 

8 goals, metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for 

9 all Peace Corps programs and Country Directors. Moni10 toring and evaluation plans shall incorporate best prac11 tices from monitoring and evaluation studies and analyses. 

12 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL VOLUNTEER SURVEYS.—The Director 

13 of the Peace Corps shall annually conduct a confidential 

14 survey of volunteers regarding the effectiveness of Peace 

15 Corps programs and staff and the safety of volunteers. 

16 ‘‘(c) PEACE CORPS INSPECTOR GENERAL.—The In17 spector General of the Peace Corps shall submit to the 

18 Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Ap19 propriations of the House of Representatives and the 

20 Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 

21 Appropriations of the Senate the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) A biennial report on reports received from 

23 volunteers relating to misconduct, mismanagement, 

24 or policy violations of Peace Corps staff, any 

25 breaches of the confidentiality of volunteers, and any 


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1 actions taken to assure the safety of volunteers who 

2 provide such reports. 

3 ‘‘(2) A report, not later than two years after 

4 the date of the enactment of this section and every 

5 five years thereafter, evaluating the effectiveness and 

6 implementation of the assault risk-reduction and re7 sponse training developed under section 8A and the 

8 sexual assault protocol and guidelines developed 

9 under section 8B. 

10 ‘‘(3) A trend analysis every three years of the 

11 annual volunteer surveys, including actions taken in 

12 response to such surveys. 

13 ‘‘(4) A report, not later than two years after 

14 the date of the enactment of this section, describing 

15 how Country Directors are hired, how Country Di16 rectors are terminated, and how Country Directors 

17 hire staff. 

18 ‘‘(d) EVALUATION DEFINED.—For purposes of this 

19 section, the term ‘evaluation’ means the systematic collec20 tion and analysis of information about the characteristics 

21 and outcomes of programs and projects as a basis for 

22 judgments, to improve effectiveness, or inform decisions 

23 about current and future programming. 


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1 ‘‘NONDISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL OR PRIVATE

2 INFORMATION

3 ‘‘SEC. 8F. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 

4 Peace Corps shall establish and maintain a process to 

5 allow volunteers to report incidents of assault, incidents 

6 of misconduct or mismanagement, or violations of any pol7 icy, of the Peace Corps in order to protect the confiden8 tiality in accordance with subsection (c) and safety of such 

9 volunteers and of the information reported, and to ensure 

10 that such information is acted on appropriately. The Di11 rector of the Peace Corps shall train all volunteers and 

12 staff about this process. 

13 ‘‘(b) GUIDANCE.—The Director of the Peace Corps 

14 shall provide guidance to officers and employees of the 

15 Peace Corps who have access to the information reported 

16 by volunteers under subsection (a) in order to protect 

17 against the inappropriate disclosure of such information 

18 and ensure the safety of such volunteers. 

19 ‘‘(c) NONDISCLOSURE.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para21 graphs (2) and (3), the Director of the Peace Corps 

22 may not— 

23 ‘‘(A) disclose any personally identifying in24 formation or personal information of a volun25 teer who is a victim of assault collected in conVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:30 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1280.RS S1280

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1 nection with services requested, utilized, or de2 nied through Peace Corps programs; or 

3 ‘‘(B) reveal such information without the 

4 informed, purpose-limited, and reasonably time5 limited consent of the volunteer about whom 

6 such information is sought. 

7 ‘‘(2) RELEASE.—If the release of information 

8 described in paragraph (1) is authorized by statute 

9 or compelled by court order, the Director of the 

10 Peace Corps shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) make reasonable attempts to provide 

12 notice to the volunteer with respect to whom 

13 such information is being released; and 

14 ‘‘(B) take such action as is necessary to 

15 protect the privacy and safety of the volunteer. 

16 ‘‘(3) INFORMATION SHARING.—The Director of 

17 the Peace Corps may share— 

18 ‘‘(A) nonpersonally identifying data in the 

19 aggregate regarding services to volunteers and 

20 nonpersonally identifying demographic informa21 tion in order to comply with reporting, evalua22 tion, or data collection requirements; 

23 ‘‘(B) nonpersonally identifying information 

24 that would protect the safety of volunteers; 


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1 ‘‘(C) court-generated information and law2 enforcement generated information contained in 

3 secure, governmental registries for protection 

4 order enforcement purposes; and 

5 ‘‘(D) law enforcement- and prosecution6 generated information necessary for law en7 forcement and prosecution purposes. 

8 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the terms ‘per9 sonally identifying information’ and ‘personal information’ 

10 mean information for or about a volunteer who is a victim 

11 of assault, including information likely to disclose the loca12 tion of such victim, including the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) A first and last name. 

14 ‘‘(2) A home or other physical address. 

15 ‘‘(3) Contact information (including a postal, 

16 email, or Internet protocol address, or telephone or 

17 facsimile number). 

18 ‘‘(4) A social security number. 

19 ‘‘(5) Any other information, including date of 

20 birth, racial or ethnic background, or religious affili21 ation, that, in combination with information de22 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (4), would serve 

23 to identify the victim. 

24 ‘‘REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

25 ‘‘SEC. 8G. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 

26 Peace Corps shall annually submit to the Committee on 


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1 Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of 

2 the House of Representatives and the Committee on For3 eign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of 

4 the Senate a report summarizing information on— 

5 ‘‘(1) sexual assault against volunteers; 

6 ‘‘(2) assault against volunteers; and 

7 ‘‘(3) the annual rate of early termination of volun8 teers, including, to the maximum extent practicable, demo9 graphic data associated with such early termination. 

10 ‘‘(b) GAO.—Not later than one year after the date 

11 of the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General 

12 of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 

13 Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of 

14 the House of Representatives and the Committee on For15 eign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of 

16 the Senate a report evaluating the quality and accessibility 

17 of health care provided through the Department of Labor 

18 to returned volunteers upon their separation from the 

19 Peace Corps. 

20 ‘‘(c) ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Peace 

22 Corps, in coordination with all Country Directors, 

23 shall determine the level of access to communication, 

24 including cellular and Internet access, of each volun25 teer. 


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1 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than six months after 

2 the date of the enactment of this section, the Direc3 tor of the Peace Corps shall submit to the Com4 mittee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Ap5 propriations of the House of Representatives and the 

6 Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee 

7 on Appropriations of the Senate a report on the 

8 costs of providing all volunteers with access to ade9 quate communication, including cellular service and 

10 Internet access. 

11 ‘‘(d) REPORT ON MONITORING AND EVALUATION.— 

12 Not later than one year after the date of the enactment 

13 of this section and annually thereafter, the Director of the 

14 Peace Corps shall submit to the Committee on Foreign 

15 Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

16 House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 

17 Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

18 Senate a report on the monitoring and evaluation of Peace 

19 Corps programs and Country Directors, including infor20 mation on the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) A description of the monitoring and eval22 uation activities conducted in the preceding year. 

23 ‘‘(2) A forecast of the monitoring and evalua24 tion activities planned for the subsequent year. 


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1 ‘‘(3) A description of the ways in which the re2 sults of the monitoring and evaluation activities have 

3 informed the design and operation of development 

4 policies and programs during the preceding year.’’. 

5 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

6 (a) INCLUSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT RISK-REDUC7 TION AND RESPONSE TRAINING.—The Peace Corps Act 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in section 5(a) (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)), in the 

10 second sentence, by inserting ‘‘(including training 

11 under section 8A)’’ after ‘‘training’’; and 

12 (2) in section 8(a) (22 U.S.C. 2507(a)), in the 

13 first sentence, by inserting ‘‘, including training 

14 under section 8A,’’ after ‘‘training’’. 

15 (b) CERTAIN SERVICES.—Section 5(e) of the Peace 

16 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(e)) is amended, in the first 

17 sentence— 

18 (1) by inserting ‘‘(including, if necessary, for 

19 volunteers and trainees, services under section 8C)’’ 

20 after ‘‘health care’’; and 

21 (2) by inserting ‘‘including services provided in 

22 accordance with section 8C (except that the six23 month limitation shall not apply in the case of such 

24 services),’’ before ‘‘as the President’’. 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Kate Puzey Peace Corps 

3 Volunteer Protection Act of 2011’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER PROTECTION. 

5 The Peace Corps Act is amended by inserting after sec6 tion 8 (22 U.S.C. 2507) the following new sections: 

7 ‘‘SEXUAL ASSAULT RISK-REDUCTION AND RESPONSE

8 TRAINING

9 ‘‘SEC. 8A. (a) IN GENERAL.—As part of the training 

10 provided to all volunteers under section 8(a), the President 

11 shall develop and implement comprehensive sexual assault 

12 risk-reduction and response training that is based upon best 

13 practices in the sexual assault field to respond to reports 

14 of sexual assault. 

15 ‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT AND CONSULTATION WITH EX16 PERTS.—In developing the sexual assault risk-reduction 

17 and response training under subsection (a), the President 

18 shall consult with and incorporate, as appropriate, the rec19 ommendations and views of experts in the sexual assault 

20 field. 

21 ‘‘(c) CONTENT OF TRAINING.—Training under sub22 section (a) shall be tailored to the country of service, and 

23 shall include cultural training relating to gender relations, 

24 risk-reduction strategies, a safety plan in the event of an 

25 assault, treatment available in such country (including fo26 rensic rape exams, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for 


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1 HIV exposure, screening for sexually transmitted diseases, 

2 and pregnancy testing), and MedEvac procedures. 

3 ‘‘(d) INFORMATION REGARDING CRIMES AND RISKS.— 

4 Each applicant for enrollment as a volunteer shall be pro5 vided with information regarding crimes against and risks 

6 to volunteers in the country in which the applicant has been 

7 invited to serve. 

8 ‘‘(e) CONTACT INFORMATION.—The President shall 

9 provide each applicant, before the applicant enrolls as a 

10 volunteer, with— 

11 ‘‘(1) the contact information of the Inspector 

12 General of the Peace Corps for purposes of reporting 

13 sexual assault mismanagement or any other mis14 management, misconduct, wrongdoing, or violations 

15 of law or policy whenever it involves a Peace Corps 

16 employee, trainee, volunteer, consultant, contractor, or 

17 outside party that receives funds from the Peace 

18 Corps; and 

19 ‘‘(2) clear, written guidelines regarding whom to 

20 contact, including the direct telephone number for the 

21 designated SAVSL and the Office of Victims Advocacy 

22 and what steps to take in the event of a sexual assault 

23 or other crime. 

24 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section and sections 8B 

25 through 8G: 


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1 ‘‘(1) SEXUAL ASSAULT.—The term ‘sexual as2 sault’ means any conduct prescribed by chapter 109A 

3 of title 18, United States Code, whether or not the 

4 conduct occurs in the special maritime and territorial 

5 jurisdiction of the United States, and includes both 

6 assaults committed by offenders who are strangers to 

7 the victim and assaults committed by offenders who 

8 are known or related by blood or marriage to the vic9 tim. 

10 ‘‘(2) INCLUSION OF TRAINEES.—The term ‘volun11 teers’ includes trainees. 

12 ‘‘SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY

13 ‘‘SEC. 8B. (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall de14 velop and implement a comprehensive sexual assault policy 

15 that— 

16 ‘‘(1) includes a system for restricted and unre17 stricted reporting of sexual assault; 

18 ‘‘(2) protects the confidentiality of a volunteer 

19 who is a victim of sexual assault until such time that 

20 he or she elects to pursue unrestricted reporting of the 

21 assault; 

22 ‘‘(3) mandates, for each Peace Corps country 

23 program, the designation of a Sexual Assault Victim 

24 Support Liaison (SAVSL), who shall receive com25 prehensive training on procedures to respond to re26 ports of sexual assault, with duties including ensurVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:30 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1280.RS S1280

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1 ing that volunteers who are victims of sexual assault 

2 are moved to a safe environment and receive prompt 

3 access to medical care; 

4 ‘‘(4) requires SAVSLs to immediately contact the 

5 Office of Victims Advocacy upon receiving a report of 

6 sexual assault; 

7 ‘‘(5) is based upon best practices in the sexual 

8 assault field; and 

9 ‘‘(6) is applicable to all posts at which volunteers 

10 serve. 

11 ‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT AND CONSULTATION WITH EX12 PERTS.—In developing the sexual assault policy under sub13 section (a), the President shall consult with and incor14 porate, as appropriate, the recommendations and views of 

15 experts in the sexual assault field. 

16 ‘‘(c) ELEMENTS.—The sexual assault policy developed 

17 under subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the fol18 lowing with respect to a volunteer who has been a victim 

19 of sexual assault: 

20 ‘‘(1) The option of pursuing either restricted or 

21 unrestricted reporting of an assault. 

22 ‘‘(2) Provision of a SAVSL and victim’s advo23 cate to the volunteer. 


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1 ‘‘(3) Provision of a sexual assault forensic evi2 dence examination to the volunteer in accordance 

3 with applicable law. 

4 ‘‘(4) Provision of emergency health care to the 

5 volunteer. 

6 ‘‘(5) Completion of a safety and treatment plan 

7 with the volunteer. 

8 ‘‘(6) Evacuation of the volunteer for medical 

9 treatment, accompanied by a Peace Corps staffer at 

10 the request of such volunteer. 

11 ‘‘(7) An explanation to the volunteer of available 

12 law enforcement and prosecutorial options, and legal 

13 representation. 

14 ‘‘(d) TRAINING.—The President shall train all in15 country staff regarding the sexual assault policy developed 

16 under subsection (a). 

17 ‘‘(e) REMOVAL AND ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a volunteer feels at risk of 

19 imminent bodily harm and requests removal from the 

20 site in which such volunteer is serving, the President 

21 shall, as expeditiously as practical after receiving 

22 such request, remove the volunteer from the site. If the 

23 President receives such a request, the President shall 

24 assess and evaluate the safety of such site and may 

25 not assign another volunteer to the site until such 


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1 time as the assessment and evaluation is complete 

2 and the site has been determined to be safe. 

3 ‘‘(2) DETERMINATION OF SITE AS UNSAFE.—Vol4 unteers may remain at a site during an assessment 

5 and evaluation under paragraph (1). If the President 

6 determines that a site is unsafe, the President shall, 

7 as expeditiously as practical, remove all volunteers 

8 from the site. 

9 ‘‘(f) TRACKING AND RECORDING.—The President shall 

10 establish a global tracking and recording system to track 

11 and record incidents of crimes against volunteers. 

12 ‘‘(g) STALKING.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The policies and procedures 

14 established by this section shall also apply in in15 stances when a volunteer reports stalking. 

16 ‘‘(2) STALKING.—In this subsection, the term 

17 ‘stalking’ means engaging in a course of conduct di18 rected at a specific person that would cause a reason19 able person to— 

20 ‘‘(A) fear for his or her safety or the safety 

21 of others; or 

22 ‘‘(B) suffer substantial emotional distress. 

23 ‘‘OFFICE OF VICTIMS ADVOCACY

24 ‘‘SEC. 8C. (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF VICTIMS

25 ADVOCACY.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish 

2 an Office of Victims Advocacy in Peace Corps head3 quarters headed by a full-time victims advocate who 

4 shall report directly to the Director. The Office of Vic5 tims Advocacy may deploy personnel abroad when 

6 necessary to help assist victims. 

7 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—Peace Corps Medical Offi8 cers, Safety and Security Officers, and program staff 

9 may not serve as victims advocates. The victims advo10 cate referred to in paragraph (1) may not have any 

11 other duties in the Peace Corps. 

12 ‘‘(3) EXEMPTION.—The victims advocate and 

13 any additional victims advocates shall be exempt 

14 from the five year rule on appointments and assign15 ments under section 7(a)(5). 

16 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Office of Victims Advo17 cacy shall help develop and update the sexual assault risk18 reduction and response training described in section 8A and 

19 the sexual assault policy described in section 8B and ensure 

20 that volunteers who are victims of crime receive services de21 scribed in the sexual assault policy. The Office of Victims 

22 Advocacy shall assist volunteers who are victims of crime 

23 by making such victims aware of the services available to 

24 them and facilitating their access to such services. 


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1 ‘‘(c) STATUS UPDATES.—The Office of Victims Advo2 cacy shall provide to volunteers who are victims of assault 

3 regular updates on the status of their cases if such volun4 teers have opted to pursue prosecution. 

5 ‘‘(d) TRANSITION.—The Office of Victims Advocacy 

6 shall assist volunteers who are victims of crime and whose 

7 service has terminated in receiving any benefits to which 

8 they are entitled under section 8142 of title 5, United States 

9 Code. 

10 ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ADVISORY COUNCIL

11 ‘‘SEC. 8D. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

12 a Sexual Assault Advisory Council (in this section referred 

13 to as the ‘Council’). 

14 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall be composed of 

15 not less than 8 individuals selected by the President who 

16 are returned volunteers (including volunteers who were vic17 tims of sexual assault and volunteers who were not victims 

18 of sexual assault) and governmental and nongovernmental 

19 experts and professionals in the sexual assault field. No 

20 Peace Corps employee shall be a member of the Council. 

21 The number of governmental experts appointed to the Coun22 cil shall not exceed the number of nongovernmental experts. 

23 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS; MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet 

24 not less often than annually to review the sexual assault 

25 risk-reduction and response training developed under sec26 tion 8A, the sexual assault policy developed under section 


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1 8B, and such other matters related to sexual assault the 

2 Council views as appropriate, to ensure that such training 

3 and policy is based upon best practices in the sexual assault 

4 field. 

5 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.—Not later than one year after the date 

6 of the enactment of this section, annually thereafter for four 

7 years, and every three years thereafter, the Council shall 

8 submit to the President and the Committee on Foreign Re9 lations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate 

10 and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee 

11 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report 

12 on its findings based on the reviews conducted pursuant to 

13 subsection (c). 

14 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Council 

15 shall not be considered employees of the United States Gov16 ernment for any purpose and shall not receive compensa17 tion other than reimbursement of travel expenses and per 

18 diem allowance. 

19 ‘‘(f) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal Advi20 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 

21 Council. 

22 ‘‘VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK AND PEACE CORPS REVIEW

23 ‘‘SEC. 8E. (a) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.—The 

24 President shall establish performance plans with perform25 ance elements and standards for Peace Corps representa26 tives and shall review the performance of Peace Corps repVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:30 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1280.RS S1280

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1 resentatives not less than annually to determine whether 

2 they have met these performance elements and standards. 

3 Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting 

4 the discretion of the President to remove a Peace Corps rep5 resentative. 

6 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL VOLUNTEER SURVEYS.—The President 

7 shall annually conduct a confidential survey of volunteers 

8 regarding the effectiveness of Peace Corps programs and 

9 staff and the safety of volunteers. The results shall be pro10 vided in aggregate form without identifying information to 

11 the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 

12 Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 

13 Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

14 of Representatives. 

15 ‘‘(c) PEACE CORPS INSPECTOR GENERAL.—The In16 spector General of the Peace Corps shall submit to the Com17 mittee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appro18 priations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Af19 fairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

20 of Representatives the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) A biennial report on reports received from 

22 volunteers relating to misconduct, mismanagement, or 

23 policy violations of Peace Corps staff, any breaches of 

24 the confidentiality of volunteers, and any actions 


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1 taken to assure the safety of volunteers who provide 

2 such reports. 

3 ‘‘(2) A report, not later than two years after the 

4 date of the enactment of this section and every three 

5 years thereafter, evaluating the effectiveness and im6 plementation of the sexual assault risk-reduction and 

7 response training developed under section 8A and the 

8 sexual assault policy developed under section 8B. The 

9 evaluation shall include a case review of a statis10 tically significant number of cases. 

11 ‘‘(3) A report, not later than two years after the 

12 date of the enactment of this section, describing how 

13 Peace Corps representatives are hired, how Peace 

14 Corps representatives are terminated, and how Peace 

15 Corps representatives hire staff, including an assess16 ment of the implementation of subsection (a). 

17 ‘‘NONDISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL OR PRIVATE

18 INFORMATION

19 ‘‘SEC. 8F. The President shall establish and maintain 

20 a process to allow volunteers to report incidents of mis21 conduct or mismanagement, or violations of any policy, of 

22 the Peace Corps in order to protect the confidentiality and 

23 safety of such volunteers and of the information reported, 

24 and to ensure that such information is acted on appro25 priately. The President shall train all volunteers and staff 

26 about this process. 


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1 ‘‘REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

2 ‘‘SEC. 8G. (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall an3 nually submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

4 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the 

5 Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Ap6 propriations of the House of Representatives a report sum7 marizing information on— 

8 ‘‘(1) sexual assault of volunteers; 

9 ‘‘(2) other crimes against volunteers; and 

10 ‘‘(3) the annual rate of early termination of volunteers, 

11 including demographic data associated with such early ter12 mination. 

13 ‘‘(b) GAO.—Not later than one year after the date of 

14 the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of 

15 the United States shall submit to the Committee on Foreign 

16 Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Sen17 ate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Com18 mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 

19 a report evaluating the quality and accessibility of health 

20 care provided through the Department of Labor to returned 

21 volunteers upon their separation from the Peace Corps. 

22 ‘‘(c) ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall deter24 mine the level of access to communication, including 

25 cellular and Internet access, of each volunteer. 


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1 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than six months after 

2 the date of the enactment of this section, the President 

3 shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

4 and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate 

5 and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Com6 mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representa7 tives a report on the costs of providing all volunteers 

8 with access to adequate communication, including cel9 lular service and Internet access.’’. 

10 SEC. 3. RETENTION OF COUNSEL FOR CRIME VICTIMS. 

11 Section 5(l) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(l)) 

12 is amended by inserting before the period at the end the 

13 following: ‘‘and counsel may be employed and counsel fees, 

14 court costs and other expenses may be paid in the support 

15 of volunteers who are parties, complaining witnesses, or 

16 otherwise participating in the prosecution of crimes com17 mitted against such volunteers’’. 

18 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON STAFFING OF OFFICE OF 

19 VICTIMS ADVOCACY. 

20 It is the sense of Congress that the Office of Victims 

21 Advocacy established under section 8C of the Peace Corps 

22 Act, as added by section 2, should maintain a staffing level 

23 sufficient to ensure the provision of timely and comprehen24 sive services to Peace Corps volunteers. 


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1 SEC. 5. PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS. 

2 Section 10(a)(5) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 

3 2509(a)(5)) is amended by deleting ‘‘any purpose’’ and in4 serting ‘‘the purposes of any law administered by the Office 

5 of Personnel Management’’. 

6 SEC. 6. INDEPENDENCE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF 

7 THE PEACE CORPS. 

8 Section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 

9 2506(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following 

10 new paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(7) The limitations specified in subparagraphs 

12 (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) and in paragraph (5) 

13 shall not apply to— 

14 ‘‘(A) the Inspector General of the Peace 

15 Corps; and 

16 ‘‘(B) officers and employees of the Office of 

17 the Inspector General of the Peace Corps.’’. 

18 SEC. 7. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

19 (a) INCLUSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT RISK-REDUCTION

20 AND RESPONSE TRAINING.—The Peace Corps Act is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) in section 5(a) (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)), in the 

23 second sentence, by inserting ‘‘(including training 

24 under section 8A)’’ after ‘‘training’’; and 


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1 (2) in section 8(a) (22 U.S.C. 2507(a)), in the 

2 first sentence, by inserting ‘‘, including training 

3 under section 8A,’’ after ‘‘training’’. 

4 (b) CERTAIN SERVICES.—Section 5(e) of the Peace 

5 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(e)) is amended, in the first sen6 tence— 

7 (1) by inserting ‘‘(including, if necessary, for 

8 volunteers and trainees, services under section 8B)’’ 

9 after ‘‘health care’’; and 

10 (2) by inserting ‘‘including services provided in 

11 accordance with section 8B (except that the six-month 

12 limitation shall not apply in the case of such serv13 ices),’’ before ‘‘as the President’’. 


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Calendar No. 176 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1280 

[Report No. 112–82] 

A BILL 

To amend the Peace Corps Act to require sexual 

Council, and for other purposes. establishment of a Sexual Assault Advisory lines, the establishment of victims advocates, the development of sexual assault protocol and guideassault risk-reduction and response training, the 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 

Reported with an amendment 


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