Bill Text: NJ S2584 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Makes changes to membership and responsibilities of Campus Sexual Assault Commission.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-10-19 - Approved P.L.2020, c.104. [S2584 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S2584-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Makes changes to membership and responsibilities of Campus Sexual Assault Commission.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the Campus Sexual Assault Commission and amending P.L.2019, c.299.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2019, c. 299 (C.18A:61E-7) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. There is established a Campus Sexual Assault Commission in, but not of, the Department of State. The commission shall consist of 12 members including:
(1) the Secretary of Higher Education, the Attorney General, and the Director of the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio;
(2) five public members appointed by the Governor, including a representative of the State colleges and universities established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, a representative of the public research universities, a representative of the county colleges, a representative of the independent colleges and universities, and a representative of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault; and
(3) four public members with demonstrated [expertise or interest] research or practitioner experience in issues related to [the work of the commission, including at least one individual who is a campus sexual assault survivor] campus sexual violence, including at least one student who is currently involved in campus sexual assault education or advocacy. The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall each appoint one of these public members.
b. The public members shall serve for a term of three years, but of the members first appointed: three of the members appointed by the Governor shall serve for a term of three years; one of the members appointed by the Governor, the member appointed by the President of the Senate, and the member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly shall serve for a term of two years; and one of the members appointed by the Governor, the member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall serve for a term of one year.
c. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments are made and a member may be eligible for reappointment. Vacancies occurring other than by expiration of a term shall be filled for the unexpired term.
d. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.
(cf: P.L. 2019, c.299, s.1)
2. Section 2 of P.L.2019, c. 299 (C.18A:61E-8) is amended to read as follows:
2. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members, [but no later than 60 days after the effective date of this act] which shall take place between 30 and 60 days after the issuance of the final report of the Working Group on Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments established pursuant to Executive Order No. 61 of 2019. The commission shall choose a chairperson from among its members and shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission. The commission shall meet quarterly, at a minimum.
(cf: P.L. 2019, c.299, s.2)
3. Section 4 of P.L.2019, c. 299 (C.18A:61E-10) is amended to read as follows:
4. It shall be the responsibility of the commission to further the work of the Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165. In particular, the commission shall:
a. study and evaluate emerging issues, policies, and practices concerning campus sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses;
b. monitor the response to, and implementation of, the recommendations put forth in the report issued by the task force established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165 and the Working Group on Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments established pursuant to Executive Order No. 61 of 2019;
c. supplement the findings and recommendations, as necessary, of the report issued by the task force established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165;
d. [develop and
administer, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education, a campus
climate survey every three years]
monitor the progress of, and offer technical assistance to, institutions of
higher education in implementing a campus climate survey. An institution of
higher education shall conduct a campus climate survey every three years and submit
the de-identified survey data to the Office of the Secretary of Higher
Education. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall share the
findings with the commission; and
e. develop an action plan every three years that includes policies, programs, or procedures responsive to the issues and needs identified [in the] by institutions of higher education from their campus climate survey.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.299, s.4)
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
P.L.2019, c.299 (C.18A:61E-7 et seq.) established in, but not of, the Department of State, a Campus Sexual Assault Commission. This bill amends that law to:
· direct the commission to study and evaluate emerging issues, policies, and practices concerning dating and domestic violence and stalking on college campuses, in addition to campus sexual assault;
· provide that the commission's members be appointed between 30 and 60 days after the issuance of the final report of the Working Group on Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments established pursuant to Executive Order No. 61 of 2019;
· change the requirement that one of the four public members appointed by legislative leaders be an individual who is a campus sexual assault survivor to a requirement that one of those four public members be a student involved in campus sexual assault education or advocacy;
· provide that the commission also monitor the response to, and implementation of, the recommendations put forth in the final report of the Working Group on Safe Inclusive Learning Environments. The current law requires the commission to monitor the response to, and implementation of, recommendations of the temporary campus sexual assault task force established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165; and
· remove from the commission's responsibilities a duty to develop and administer, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education, a campus climate survey every three years. Under the bill, the commission will monitor the progress of, and offer technical assistance to, institutions of higher education in implementing campus climate surveys. The institutions will conduct a campus climate survey every three years and submit de-identified survey data to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education for use by the commission.
