Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act
Latest action · Jun 30, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 22, 2016
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act
This bill amends the federal criminal code to establish statutory rights for sexual assault survivors, including the right to: (1) receive a forensic medical examination at no cost; (2) have a sexual assault evidence collection kit (i.e., rape kit) preserved for the maximum applicable statute of limitations; (3) receive written notification prior to destruction or disposal of a rape kit; and (4) be informed of the rights and policies under this section.
Additionally, it makes statutory crime victims' rights applicable to sexual assault survivors.
The bill amends the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 to include information about sexual assault services, programs, and providers in the description of services provided to victims.
The bill amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to authorize the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Office of Justice Programs to make grants to states to develop sexual assault survivors' rights and policies and to disseminate written notice of such rights and policies to medical centers, hospitals, forensic examiners, sexual assault service providers, law enforcement agencies, and other state entities.
DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services must establish a joint working group to develop, coordinate, and disseminate best practices regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors and the preservation of forensic evidence.
For purposes of this bill, the term "sexual assault survivor" includes a legal representative acting on behalf of a deceased victim of sexual assault.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 22, 2016 to Sep 28, 2016; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TX | Lamar Smith | Original | Jun 22, 2016 |
| D-FL | Alan Grayson | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-MD | Donna F. Edwards | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-MA | Katherine M. Clark | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Pete Aguilar | Sep 28, 2016 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jun 22, 2016 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Jun 30, 2016 | |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jun 22, 2016 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 30, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Jun 22, 2016Introduced in House
- Jun 22, 2016Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 100, June 22, 2016, page H4171.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R44237 | Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs) and the Backlog of Untested Sexual Assault Evidence: In Brief | Report | Feb 7, 2022 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2566 | Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act | Related bill | Feb 23, 2016 |
| HR 5578 | Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016 | Related bill | Oct 7, 2016 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide sexual assault survivors with certain rights, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 22, 2016Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
