Rep. Maloney statement on proposed Campus SaVE rules

Jun 19, 2014
Press Release

Press Contact: Mike Morosi (202) 225-7944

Maloney authored Campus SaVE Act and worked to include provisions in VAWA

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) released the following statement on the Department of Education’s Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the Campus SaVE Provisions of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Maloney authored the Campus SaVE Act and worked to include the language in VAWA.

“When fully implemented, these rules will allow us to drag the issue of sexual assault on campus out of the shadows so that we can begin working constructively to address the problem. I authored Campus SaVE to update the Clery Act so we can get better data on campus sexual assault and do more to protect our students. These draft rules will help to achieve that by requiring universities to include data on sexual assault in their security reports, and by making sure students are aware of their rights and campus policies related to sexual assault.”

From the Department of Education:

Under the proposed regulations, colleges would be required to compile statistics for incidents of dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, in addition to the currently compiled statistics for sexual assaults and certain other crimes. These data will provide a better picture of the extent to which these forms of abuse occur on our campuses and will better equip colleges, advocates, and policymakers to address these issues.

In addition to institutions’ existing obligations under Title IX, which Violence Against Women Act will not interfere with, these regulatory changes will provide a fairer and more responsive path for survivors and advocates to seek redress through campus judicial processes and will also help to ensure better access to the accommodations and services to which survivors are entitled. 

Other notable changes include:

  • Adding gender identity and national origin as categories of bias under the Clery Act’s definition of hate crimes;
  • Adopting the FBI’s revised, more inclusive definition of rape;
  • Requiring institutions to ensure that their disciplinary proceedings in response to alleged incidents of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are prompt, fair, and impartial;
  • Strengthening protections for victim confidentiality while helping victims to access the support, services, and the disciplinary and legal options available to them; and
  • Specifying requirements for programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including prevention and awareness programs and campaigns.

Combined with institutions’ existing obligations under Title IX, which the Violence Against Women Act left untouched, these regulatory changes provide powerful new tools to improve campus safety. 

The language agreed upon by the committee is reflected in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The public is invited to comment on the proposed regulations until July 21.  After consideration of public comment, the final regulations will be published by November 1.  

Issues: 
Women's Issues