IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 230 
Encouraging State-by-State adoption of a sexual assault survivors’ bill of 
rights. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 29, 2015 
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (for herself, Mrs. WAGNER, Ms. MOORE, Mrs. 
LUMMIS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. VARGAS, 
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, and Mr. KING of New York) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judici-
ary 
RESOLUTION 
Encouraging State-by-State adoption of a sexual assault 
survivors’ bill of rights. 
Whereas sexual assault is a transgression against the dignity, 
bodily integrity, and fundamental rights of human beings; 
Whereas the Department of Justice reports that 300,170 
people in the United States are sexually assaulted each 
year, which is the equivalent of one person every 105 sec-
onds; 
Whereas sexual assault is a vastly underreported crime in the 
United States, with the Rape, Abuse, Incest, National 
Network estimating that fewer than one in three sur-
vivors report the attack to law enforcement; 
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•HRES 230 IH 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC) estimates that one in five women in the United 
States will be the victim of an attempted or completed 
rape in her lifetime; 
Whereas sexual assault affects women, men, and children of 
all racial, social, religious, age, ethnic, and economic 
groups; 
Whereas notice and access to information, fair and efficient 
legal procedures, responsible and accountable survivor ad-
vocacy, and fair administration and efficient processing 
of sexual assault evidence collection kits (‘‘rape kits’’) 
are, among others, fundamental rights for survivors; 
Whereas notice and access to information are necessary to in-
form survivors of critical matters, including their basic 
legal rights, the contents of their law enforcement report, 
the availability of local rape crisis centers, and the final 
disposition of their case; 
Whereas fair and efficient legal procedures are essential to 
protect survivors against unreasonable barriers that ob-
struct entry into the justice system and to empower sur-
vivors and thereby reduce the underreporting of sexual 
assault; 
Whereas responsible and accountable survivor advocacy is 
critical to prevent unintentional secondary traumatization 
of survivors; 
Whereas the fair administration and efficient processing of 
rape kits are vital to eliminate the national backlog of 
hundreds of thousands of unsubmitted and untested rape 
kits; 
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Whereas all citizens should have an opportunity to avail 
themselves of these crucial rights, which currently only 
some States formally recognize by law; 
Whereas not having comprehensive and survivor-centered 
legal and civil protections in place can result in obstruc-
tion of justice for survivors, re-victimization of the sur-
vivor, and a deterrence of survivors to come forward; 
Whereas people in every State urgently deserve a comprehen-
sive Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights so that ac-
cess to justice does not depend on geography; 
Whereas the United States Government is a global leader in 
protecting its people’s rights to liberty and equality; and 
Whereas April is recognized as ‘‘National Sexual Assault 
Awareness and Prevention Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) encourages the adoption of a comprehensive 
State-level Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights 
that upholds core United States values and— 
(A) seeks to ensure equality under the law, 
thereby ensuring that all survivors of sexual as-
sault obtain the equal measure of justice in 
every State; 
(B) protects personal liberty, by respecting 
survivors’ personal autonomy in the aftermath 
of an assault that has already violated their 
bodily integrity, and reaffirming the inalienable 
nature of their rights to notice, efficiency, and 
fairness; 
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•HRES 230 IH 
(C) ensures universally agreed-upon rights, 
which find their basis in strong legal precedent, 
which do not infringe upon the rights of the ac-
cused, and which constitute a nonpartisan, non- 
controversial approach to a complex issue; 
(D) complements existing State and Fed-
eral statutory language regarding sexual assault 
and encourages more survivors to report their 
assaults, thereby increasing the impact of exist-
ing State and Federal statutory language; 
(E) respects the plenary powers of each 
State over the health, welfare, and safety of its 
citizens in enacting and enforcing the rights of 
its own citizens; and 
(F) demonstrates a serious commitment to 
ending sexual assault and improving the lives of 
its citizens; 
(2) strongly urges States to adopt a Sexual As-
sault Survivors’ Bill of Rights that includes, but is 
not limited to, the— 
(A) right to prompt analysis of the sur-
vivor’s rape kit; 
(B) right to know the results of the sur-
vivor’s rape kit; 
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•HRES 230 IH 
(C) right to be notified in writing of sur-
vivor’s legal rights; 
(D) right to be notified in writing of the 
nearest rape crisis center; 
(E) right to be informed about the status 
of the survivor’s case; 
(F) retention of all rights regardless of 
whether assault is reported to law enforcement; 
(G) right to a sexual assault counselor; 
and 
(H) right to terminate all legal ties and 
contact with assailant; and 
(3) recognizes and applauds those State legisla-
tive bodies which have already taken steps toward 
the adoption of a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of 
Rights. 
Æ 
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