Protecting Victims on Campus Act of 2013

Bill: 113-hr-561
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Meehan, Patrick [R-PA-7]
Introduced: 2013-02-06
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Crime prevention

Crime victims

Crimes against children

Criminal justice information and records

Education programs funding

Government information and archives

Government studies and investigations

Higher education

Right of privacy

School administration
Latest action: action_date: 2013-04-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-02-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Protecting Victims on Campus Act of 2013 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions that require each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in a title IV (Student Assistance) program to comply with certain crime reporting requirements.</p> <p>Requires IHEs to provide students and employees with a list of the titles, in each department of the IHE, of each individual who is a campus security authority to whom they should report specified criminal offenses.</p> <p>Includes criminal offenses involving minors that are reported to campus security authorities or the local police among the criminal offenses that are to be included in: (1) the annual campus security report provided to current and prospective students and employees, and (2) the timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to the community.</p> <p>Requires the personally identifiable information of victims to be kept confidential when IHEs are making timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to the community.</p> <p>Requires IHEs, in carrying out their obligation to make such timely reports, to: (1) designate an individual to serve as campus security authority coordinator, and (2) provide for the training of that coordinator and the campus security authorities.</p> <p>Directs the Secretary of Education, when imposing civil penalties on IHEs for substantial violations of the crime reporting requirements, to distinguish between IHEs that intentionally violated those requirements and those whose violations are attributable to institutional neglect. </p> <p>Requires the Secretary to provide each IHE that is to be investigated for violating such reporting requirements with a timeline of the investigation and a preliminary report that includes the reasons for the investigation.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 561 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 6, 2013 Mr. Meehan (for himself, Mr. Carney , Mr. Poe of Texas , Ms. Castor of Florida , Mr. Issa , Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania , and Mr. King of New York ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To amend the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to provide further clarity for institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Victims on Campus Act of 2013 . 2. Disclosure of campus security policy and campus crime statistics Section 485(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1092(f) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the semicolon the following: , and making available to students and employees a list of the titles, in each department of the institution, of each individual who is a campus security authority to whom students and employees should report the criminal offenses described in subparagraph (F) ; and (B) in subparagraph (F)(i)— (i) by striking and at the end of subclause (VIII); and (ii) by adding the following at the end: (X) criminal offenses involving minors; and ; (2) by repealing paragraph (2); (3) in paragraph (3)— (A) by striking Each and inserting (A) Each ; (B) by inserting , that keeps confidential the personally identifiable information of victims, after that is timely ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (B) In carrying out the requirements of subparagraph (A), an institution shall— (i) designate an individual who is familiar with the requirements of this subsection to serve as a campus security authority coordinator to— (I) oversee campus security authorities; (II) solicit and compile the crimes described in subparagraph (F) of paragraph (1) reported to such authorities for the purpose of including such information in the timely reports required under this paragraph; and (III) ensure that when a crime of violence (as defined in section 16 of title 18, United States Codes) is reported to a campus security authority, the authority reports the crime to local law police agencies; (ii) establish policies or procedures for training campus security authorities and the campus security authority coordinator; and (iii) employ or designate an individual or other entity to conduct such training using the policies or procedures established under clause (ii), upon receiving approval from the Secretary for such individual or other entity to conduct such training. ; (4) in paragraph (13)— (A) by striking Upon and inserting (A) Upon ; (B) by inserting which distinguishes between institutional neglect and intentional misrepresentation or withholding of information, after this subsection, ; (C) by inserting , except that the Secretary shall impose a larger civil penalty in the case of an institution of higher education determined to have intentionally violated this subsection, as compared to an institution of higher education that violated this subsection as a result of institutional neglect. An intentional violation of this subsection by an institution of higher education shall be subject to criminal prosecution after under section 487(c)(3)(B) ; and (D) by adding at the end the following: (B) Prior to making a determination described in subparagraph (A) with respect to an institution of higher education, the Secretary shall— (i) conduct an investigation with respect to the institution; and (ii) provide the institution with a timeline of the investigation and a preliminary report that includes the reasons for conducting such investigation. ; and (5) in paragraph (17), before the period insert the following: or any individual because such individual provided information or made a complaint to a law enforcement agency relating to the implementation of any provision of this subsection, provided that the individual acted in good faith when providing such information or making such complaint .