Campus Accountability and Safety Act
Sens. Gillibrand and Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Overhaul Campus Sexual Assault Rules
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It has been sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for review. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
This bill has strong support from both parties, which is rare. However, colleges may worry about the cost of hiring new staff and the risk of large fines, which could slow it down.
Key Points
- Colleges would have to designate special sexual and interpersonal violence specialists who can confidentially help students report assaults, arrange schedule or housing changes, and connect them with medical or legal resources, all without forcing them to talk to police or school officials first.
From policy text
“The designation of one or more sexual and interpersonal violence specialists at the institution to whom student complainants of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or stalking can report, including anonymously”
View in full text - Schools would be required to publish far more detail in their annual security reports about how they handle sexual assault cases, including how many were reported, how many went through a disciplinary process, how many resulted in a finding of responsibility, and what sanctions were imposed.
From policy text
“the eligible institution shall prepare for the annual security report that is due on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, and annually thereafter, the following additions”
View in full text - The bill creates an amnesty policy so students who report an assault in good faith would not be punished for related conduct violations like underage drinking or drug use that occurred at or near the time of the incident, encouraging more people to come forward.
- Every college must use one uniform disciplinary process for all students on each campus, and cannot give special treatment based on a student's status as an athlete, their academic major, or any other characteristic.
From policy text
“shall not carry out a different disciplinary process on the same campus for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or stalking, or alter the uniform process described in subclause (I), based on the status or characteristics of a student”
View in full text - The Department of Education would create a public, searchable website showing each school's safety data, pending investigations, enforcement actions, and information on how to file Title IX complaints.
From policy text
“The Secretary shall ensure there is a publicly available, searchable, accessible, and user-friendly campus safety website”
View in full text - Schools that fail to comply with the new requirements could face civil penalties of up to 1 percent of their operating budget for each year of noncompliance, with the Secretary able to adjust penalties based on factors like the school's size and the severity of the violation.
From policy text
“The Secretary may impose a civil penalty of not more than 1 percent of an institution's operating budget, as defined by the Secretary, for each year that the institution fails to carry out the requirements of this paragraph”
View in full text
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
5 articlesSenators push bipartisan bill to improve how colleges handle sexual misconduct cases
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Grassley reintroduced the Campus Accountability and Safety Act on Oct. 8. The bill requires colleges to hire confidential advocates for survivors and mandates the publication of detailed statistics on sexual assault cases and disciplinary outcomes.
University increases lobbying spending amidst higher education policy changes
Notre Dame has consistently lobbied for the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which seeks to expand Title IX protections. The act includes increased campus support services for survivors, survey transparency requirements, and enforceable penalties for non-compliant institutions.
Campus Sexual Assault Legislation and the Fight for Due Process
The reintroduction of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA) brings renewed focus to campus safety. While the bill provides critical resources like confidential advisors and amnesty for minor conduct violations, critics argue it lacks sufficient due process protections for the accused.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Campus Accountability and Safety Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.