Grassley Led Effort to Secure Legislation in Senate
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed legislation securing new rights for survivors of sexual assault following a unanimous consent request by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. Grassley included the Survivors’ Bill of Rights in a legislative proposal, which passed the Senate in May. The House passed its version of the bill earlier this month.
“Survivors of sexual assault should have access to all available tools in their pursuit of justice. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I included the Survivors’ Bill of Rights in a broader bill targeting sex offenders, which the Senate passed back in May to ensure forensic evidence from these crimes is both collected and preserved. Passing this important bill into law means that survivors cannot be denied a fundamental step in their fight for justice, and it means that perpetrators of these terrible crimes will now be under an even greater microscope,” Grassley said.
Grassley added the legislative provisions to the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act, which passed in the Senate in May. These provisions ensure that victims of federal crimes of sexual violence cannot be denied or charged for forensic exams, and that sexual assault evidence collection kits must be preserved without charge for the statutory limitations or at least 20 years. It also authorizes Justice Department grants to states that ensure that sexual violence survivors are notified of any applicable legal rights. It also calls for the creation of a federal working group to develop best practices relating to the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors as well as the preservation of forensic evidence in sexual violence cases. Finally, the Grassley amendment, which was developed with the input of victim advocates and other senators, would extend the statutory deadline by which many child survivors of human trafficking offenses can file civil lawsuits against their perpetrators.
The legislation was first championed by Amanda Nguyen, the founder and president of Rise, which advocates for rights for survivors of sexual assault.
“The passage of this historic bill means hope for at least 25 million rape survivors in America. There is still work left to be done in the states; this federal passage is a critical model that Statehouses can adopt. We are grateful for Senator Grassley's leadership. I hope President Obama signs these civil rights into law soon,” Nguyen said.
Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the Survivors’ Bill of Rights.
This is a non-controversial, bipartisan bill. It has already passed the Senate.
Amanda Nguyen is a rape survivor who has been the driving force behind this bill. She is the founder and President of RISE, a group which advocates on behalf of survivors of sexual violence.
Amanda has worked hand in hand with both political parties on this bill to establish new rights for survivors of sexual violence. This is the way it should be, because regardless of political party, all members of Congress should be empowering survivors of sexual violence.
However, while Republicans were ready to move forward on this bill last week, Democrat leadership has been stalling Amanda’s diligent efforts.
This bill ensures that all survivors of sexual violence have equal access to all available tools in their pursuit of justice. This includes proper collection and preservation of forensic evidence that is so vital in cases of sexual violence.
This bill also guarantees these survivors a new package of rights.
Like I said, this is a bipartisan, non-controversial bill. It has already passed this body 89-0.
Each day, others like Amanda will fall victim to sexual violence. The Senate should not wait one more day to help them seek justice.
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