Bill Text: NJ S3214 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires each institution of higher education to establish Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-10-19 - Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading [S3214 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S3214-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator PETER J. BARNES, III
District 18 (Middlesex)
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires each institution of higher education to establish Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning sexual violence at institutions of higher education.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Each institution of higher education shall establish a Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board. The advisory board shall include representatives of the administration, faculty, and student body, including representatives of the institution's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ), fraternity and sorority, and student-athlete communities.
2. The Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board established pursuant to section 1 of this act shall establish and oversee a research team. The purpose of the research team shall be to provide the advisory board with an analysis of the issue of sexual violence and the policies and resources in place to address sexual violence at the institution of higher education.
a. The research team shall conduct a resource audit of the institution, assessing the institution's current sexual assault policies and resources available to prevent and respond to sexual violence.
b. The research team shall conduct a campus climate survey assessing:
(1) the prevalence of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking both on and off campus;
(2) student and employee knowledge of the institution's Title IX coordinator's role, campus policies and procedures addressing sexual assault and violence, options for reporting sexual assault and violence as a victim or witness, and the availability of resources on and off campus, such as counseling, health, and academic assistance;
(3) student and employee bystander attitudes and behavior;
(4) whether victims reported the assault, violence, or stalking to the institution, law enforcement, or both, whether the report to law enforcement was to the campus police or a local law enforcement agency, and reasons why they did or did not report;
(5) student and employee attitudes and awareness of the campus sexual violence issue; and
(6) the institution's sexual violence prevention programming, including whether the institution provides students and employees with instruction on bystander intervention, and whether this training reflects the differing needs of individuals based on their gender, sexual orientation, and gender identities.
c. The research team shall conduct a supplemental survey, or focus groups, examining the unique concerns and issues surrounding sexual assault and sexual violence among members of:
(1) the LGBTQ community;
(2) minority groups;
(3) athletic organizations; and
(4) fraternities and sororities.
d. Within one year of its establishment, the research team shall submit to the advisory board a summary of its findings and an action plan, including recommendations on how the institution can improve its prevention of and response to sexual assault and violence.
3. The advisory board shall review the summary and action plan submitted by the research team pursuant to section 2 of this act, and within 90 days shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the institution's governing board and the Secretary of Higher Education. Upon the submission of all the advisory board reports, the Secretary of Higher Education shall forward them to the Governor, and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).
4. The provisions of this act shall not be applicable to an institution of higher education that has substantially met the requirements of this act within three years prior to its effective date, as determined by the Secretary of Higher Education.
5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 30 days after the Secretary of Higher Education forwards the advisory board reports to the Governor and Legislature.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each institution of higher education to establish a Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board. The board must include representatives of the administration, faculty, and student body, including representatives of the institution's LGBTQ, fraternity and sorority, and student-athlete communities. The advisory board will establish a research team to conduct an analysis of sexual violence on the institution's campus and to make recommendations to improve the institution's prevention of and response to this problem.
Within one year of its formation, the research team must submit to the advisory board a summary of its findings and an action plan, including recommendations on how the institution can improve its prevention of and response to sexual violence.
The Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board must review the summary and action plan submitted to it by the research team. The board must then submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the institution's governing board and the Secretary of Higher Education. Upon the submission of all the advisory board reports, the Secretary of Higher Education must forward them to the Governor and the Legislature.
This bill will not apply to an institution of higher education that has already fulfilled the actions required pursuant to the bill's provisions within the three years preceding the bill's effective date.
