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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 727 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 727

 Expressing support for the designation of September 2023 as National 
                 Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2023

 Ms. Norton submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
             the Committee on Oversight and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing support for the designation of September 2023 as National 
                 Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Whereas colleges are now receiving students in person for the academic year;
Whereas freshmen and sophomores in college are at a greater risk of being 
        sexually assaulted than juniors or seniors;
Whereas college students are at a higher risk of sexual assault during the first 
        few months of school, with more than 50 percent of college sexual 
        assaults occurring in either August, September, October, or November;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that both middle 
        school and high school students are increasingly experiencing sexual 
        harassment, sexual assault, and sexual violence, with nearly 35 percent 
        of female sexual assault survivors reporting that they were first 
        attacked between the ages of 11 and 17;
Whereas many college students are survivors of ``incapacitated assault'', in 
        which they are sexually assaulted while drugged, drunk, passed out, or 
        otherwise incapacitated;
Whereas these survivors often know their attackers;
Whereas less than 5 percent of rapes and attempted rapes of college students are 
        reported to campus authorities or local law enforcement;
Whereas college sexual assault survivors are likely to tell someone they know, 
        most often a friend, about their experience;
Whereas over 20 percent of college sexual assault survivors fear reprisal by the 
        perpetrator;
Whereas approximately 5 percent of college men account for 90 to 95 percent of 
        the rapes on college campuses;
Whereas many college sexual assault survivors fear poor treatment by campus or 
        law enforcement authorities, or even lack knowledge of the reporting 
        process;
Whereas approximately 8 percent of colleges still do not allow confidential 
        reporting of sexual assaults to campus authorities;
Whereas 21 percent of colleges provide no sexual assault response training for 
        members of their faculty and staff;
Whereas approximately 41 percent of colleges have not conducted a single sexual 
        assault investigation in the last 5 years;
Whereas most colleges fail to provide access to a specially trained Sexual 
        Assault Nurse Examiner;
Whereas law enforcement officials at 30 percent of colleges receive no training 
        on how to respond to reports of sexual violence;
Whereas more than 70 percent of colleges do not have protocols regarding how the 
        institution and local law enforcement should work together to respond to 
        sexual violence;
Whereas 33 percent of colleges fail to provide training to dispel ``rape myths'' 
        to persons adjudicating sexual assault claims;
Whereas 43 percent of the Nation's largest colleges have students assisting in 
        adjudicating sexual assault cases, which creates privacy and conflict-
        of-interest concerns;
Whereas 22 percent of colleges allow athletic department oversight of sexual 
        violence cases involving student athletes;
Whereas many college sexual assault survivors experience confusion over how to 
        report a sexual assault, are unsure of acceptable standards of sexual 
        conduct and definitions of rape and sexual assault, and fear punishment 
        for activities preceding some sexual assaults, such as underage 
        drinking;
Whereas 21 percent of the Nation's largest private colleges report not 
        independently investigating all claims of sexual assault that they 
        conveyed to the Department of Education;
Whereas only approximately 13 percent of the perpetrators of college sexual 
        assaults are permanently expelled;
Whereas only 10 percent of reported college rape cases result in criminal 
        charges against the alleged perpetrator;
Whereas survivors of campus sexual assaults are more likely to have their lives 
        disrupted, such as by changing a college major, changing campus housing, 
        and dropping a class, than the average student;
Whereas only 7 States require colleges to adopt affirmative consent policies; 
        and
Whereas September 2023, when many students begin or return to college, is an 
        appropriate month to designate as National Campus Sexual Assault 
        Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the 
designation of National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
                                 <all>
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