Victims of Sexual Assault/Protect/Retaliatory Lawsuits

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

The purpose of this Act is to protect victims of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment from retaliatory lawsuits that arise when a victim of sexual assault discloses information regarding an act of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment. Specifically, this Act protects assault victims from defamation lawsuits by placing a higher burden of proof on the complainant, even if the complainant is a private figure. It also entitles a prevailing defendant in a defamation lawsuit to attorneys’ fees and costs, actual damages, and punitive damages.

Every action

9 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

1. Apr 9, 2026CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House · House Judiciary
2. Apr 16, 2026HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 355 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
3. May 13, 2026CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 1 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits · House Judiciary
4. Jun 18, 2026HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 355 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
5. Jun 18, 2026HousePassed By House. Votes: 30 YES 9 NO 2 ABSENT30–9 vote
6. Jun 18, 2026CommitteeAssigned to Judiciary Committee in Senate · Senate Judiciary
7. Jun 24, 2026CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in Senate with 4 On Its Merits · Senate Judiciary
8. Jul 1, 2026SenatePassed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT20–0 vote
9. Sep 14, 2026GovernorSigned by Governor

Roll calls

2 recorded votes: 2 on the floor, 0 in committee. Each shows how every member voted.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it, joined by 8 cosponsors: 8 Democrats.

• EM Eric MorrisonD Primary sponsor · District 27
• SP Sophie PhillipsD Joint sponsor · District 18
• NP Nicole PooreD Joint sponsor · District 12