From October 18, 2022 post.
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has secured the inclusion of new protections for survivors of sexual violence in an upcoming must-pass defense spending bill. The bipartisan Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act, authored by Grassley and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), builds upon their previous legislation to promote justice for survivors across the country. At Grassley’s urging, it’s being included as an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act, which is slated for congressional consideration later this year.
“Survivors of sexual assault deserve support and certainty that they will continue to be protected while their perpetrators are held accountable. This legislation encourages states to adopt and apply the same standard of protection across the country by providing essential forensic kits to help deliver justice. I encourage my colleagues to support it in the upcoming defense spending bill,” Grassley said.
In 2016, Grassley and Shaheen worked with survivor and advocate Amanda Nguyen to pass into law the original Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act, which guarantees rights for survivors of sexual assault in federal cases and led to 21 states adopting similar legislation. The bipartisan Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act builds on the legacy of the initial legislation by ensuring that all survivors, not just those in federal cases, are protected. Grassley and Shaheen first introduced this legislation in 2019.
“We are immensely grateful to Senator Grassley for his continued leadership on this legislation and for centering survivors throughout this process. Justice for sexual assault survivors should never depend on geography – this is not a partisan issue. Passage by the Senate will be crucial to survivors’ rights across the country,” said Amanda Nguyen, founder and CEO of Rise.
The Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act encourages states to ensure that survivors have, at minimum, the rights guaranteed to survivors under federal law. States that provide these rights would be eligible for additional federal funding equivalent to a percentage of the formula grant funding that they already receive under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) STOP grant program from the Department of Justice. These rights include:
· The right not to be prevented from, or charged for, receiving a medical forensic examination.
· The right to have a sexual assault evidence collection kit or its probative contents preserved without charge for the statutory limitations period or 20 years, whichever is shorter.
· The right to be informed of results of a sexual assault evidence collection kit.
· The right to be informed in writing of policies governing the kit’s collection and preservation.
· The right, if the government intends to destroy or dispose of the kit, to receive written notice not later than 60 days before the date of the intended destruction or disposal, and the right, upon written request, to have the kit preserved.
Original source can be found here
