Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARISA SWEENEY
District 25 (Morris and Passaic)
Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL
District 27 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Rowan
SYNOPSIS
Expands duties of Campus Sexual Assault Commission; requires Secretary of Higher Education and institutions of higher education to designate certain safety-related liaisons.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning campus safety at institutions of higher education and amending and supplementing P.L.2019, c.299.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.2019, c.299 (C.18A:61E-10) is amended to read as follows:
4. It shall be the responsibility of the commission to further the work of the Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165. In particular, the commission shall:
a. study and evaluate emerging issues, policies, and practices concerning campus sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses;
b. monitor the response to, and implementation of, the recommendations put forth in the report issued by the task force established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165 and the Working Group on Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments established pursuant to Executive Order No. 61 of 2019;
c. supplement the findings and recommendations, as necessary, of the report issued by the task force established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165;
d. monitor the progress of, and offer technical assistance to, institutions of higher education in implementing a campus climate survey. An institution of higher education shall conduct a campus climate survey at intervals no longer than four years and submit the de-identified survey data to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall share the findings with the commission; [and]
e. develop an action plan that includes policies, programs, or procedures responsive to the issues and needs identified by institutions of higher education from their campus climate survey;
f. facilitate communication between institutions of higher education and community-based organizations;
g. provide technical assistance to institutions of higher education using webinars; and
h. curate a comprehensive website repository of best practices, templates, and resources for use by institutions of higher education for the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault and interpersonal violence. The repository shall be updated with new information and resources as they become available to ensure institution’s have access to the most current and effective strategies.
(cf: P.L.2020, c.104, s.3)
2. (New section) The Secretary of Higher Education shall designate a Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments Coordinator within the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to centralize oversight and facilitate the delivery of technical assistance, data collection, and policy guidance concerning the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault. The coordinator shall serve as the primary liaison to institutions of higher education and community-based organizations concerning the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault.
3. (New section) Each institution of higher education shall designate a campus safety liaison to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration within the institution of higher education concerning the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault. The campus safety liaison shall coordinate a comprehensive campus approach to safety to link prevention, data collection, and response functions. The campus safety liaison shall have demonstrated expertise in compliance and reporting under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. s.1681 et seq. and sexual violence prevention on college campuses.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill expands the duties of the Campus Sexual Assault Commission and requires the Secretary of Higher Education and institutions of higher education to designate certain safety-related liaisons.
Under the bill, the Campus Sexual Assault Commission will be tasked with, in addition to the commission’s tasks under current law:
· facilitating communication between institutions of higher education and community-based organizations;
· providing technical assistance to institutions of higher education using webinars; and
· curating a comprehensive website repository of best practices, templates, and resources for use by institutions of higher education for the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault and interpersonal violence. The repository is required to be updated with new information and resources as they become available to ensure institutions have access to the most current and effective strategies.
The bill requires the Secretary of Higher Education to designate a Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments Coordinator within the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to centralize oversight and facilitate the delivery of technical assistance, data collection, and policy guidance concerning the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault. The coordinator will serve as the primary liaison to institutions of higher education and community-based organizations concerning the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault.
The bill also requires each institution of higher education to designate a campus safety liaison to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration within the institution of higher education concerning the prevention of and response to campus sexual assault. The campus safety liaison will coordinate a comprehensive campus approach to safety to link prevention, data collection, and response functions. The campus safety liaison is required to have demonstrated expertise in compliance and reporting under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and sexual violence prevention on college campuses.