House Advances Protections for Campus Sexual Assault Survivors

HARTFORD — State Representative Tammy Nuccio (R-Tolland) joined her colleagues on Tuesday in support of a bill to improve the handling of sexual misconduct accusations in Connecticut colleges and universities.

HB-6374 makes various changes to the reporting of sexual assault or stalking incidents by higher education authorities, including providing legal amnesty for those who had been drinking or using drugs, allowing them to report an assault without fear of being charged with a campus violation.

“The purpose of this legislation is to raise awareness and gather more data about the prevalence of sexual misconduct on campus, and we can’t hope to gather accurate information if many victims are effectively discouraged from coming forward. Witnesses and victims of sexual assault should not have to fear their story won’t be believed, or worse that they will have to face repercussions for doing the right thing. This is not to say that we encourage underage drinking or drug use, but that we want to provide safe harbor for those who come forward,” Nuccio said.

Sexual violence on college campuses reportedly impacts 13% of all college students, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Additionally, one-fifth of students surveyed by the DOJ volunteered that they did not report misconduct they witnessed because they feared reprisal.

Nuccio believes that by providing students with a promise of legal amnesty, more survivors and bystanders may be willing to come forward.

“Students who experience sexual assault on their campus deserve to be believed when they come forward with their story. This bill should help to change the conversation around sexual misconduct in these institutions and help erase some of the stigma that often follows survivors,” Nuccio concluded.

The bill also establishes a statewide reporting system for campus authorities, including a standardized survey to track campus sexual assault and stalking data in all institutions of higher learning.

Following the House’s action on Tuesday, the bill has now been referred to the Senate.

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