I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1023 

To create penalties for massage establishment owners and employees who 

fail to report knowledge or reasonable suspicion of sexual assault. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2017 

Mr. MEEHAN (for himself and Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To create penalties for massage establishment owners and 

employees who fail to report knowledge or reasonable 

suspicion of sexual assault. 

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 referred to as the ‘‘Duty to Report 

5 Sexual Assault Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTING REQUIREMENT AND 

7 PENALTIES. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 73 of title 18, 

9 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

10 following new section: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1522. Failure of a massage establishment owner or 

2 employee to report sexual assault 

3 ‘‘(a) Whoever, being the owner or employee of a mas4 sage establishment— 

5 ‘‘(1)(A) knows or reasonably suspects that an6 other employee of the massage establishment sexu7 ally assaulted another person on the premises of, or 

8 while performing services on behalf of, the massage 

9 establishment; and 

10 ‘‘(B) fails to report to such knowledge or rea11 sonable suspicion to the appropriate law enforcement 

12 agency; or 

13 ‘‘(2) in the case of an owner of a massage es14 tablishment, fails to display in a manner that is visi15 ble to customers of such establishment the policies 

16 and procedures of such establishment relating to 

17 sexual assault prevention and response, including the 

18 policy or procedure relating to reporting sexual as19 saults to the appropriate law enforcement agency, 

20 shall be punished as provided in subsection (b). 

21 ‘‘(b) The punishment for an offense— 

22 ‘‘(1) under subsection (a)(1), is a fine in an 

23 amount not more than $1,500, imprisonment for a 

24 period of not more than six months, or both; and 

25 ‘‘(2) under subsection (a)(2), is a fine in an 

26 amount not more than $500. 


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1 ‘‘(c) In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) The term ‘massage establishment’ means 

3 any establishment that offers for sale massage serv4 ices. 

5 ‘‘(2) The term ‘sexual assault’ means a Federal, 

6 tribal, or State offense, by whatever designation and 

7 wherever committed, consisting of assault with in8 tent to commit rape; aggravated sexual abuse and 

9 sexual abuse (as described in sections 2241 and 

10 2242); or abusive sexual contact (as described in 

11 section 2242). 

12 ‘‘(d) Nothing in this section requires a law enforce13 ment officer to whom a report is made of a sexual assault 

14 described in subsection (a)(1)(A) to investigate or charge 

15 an individual with an offense without the consent of the 

16 alleged victim of such offense.’’. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

18 at the beginning of chapter 73 of title 18, United States 

19 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 

20 item: 

‘‘1522. Failure of a massage establishment owner or employee to report sexual 

assault.’’. 

21 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect 

22 120 days after the date of enactment. 

Æ 


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