ASSEMBLY HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3622

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JULY 09, 2020

     The Assembly Higher Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 3622 with committee amendments.

     P.L.2019, c.299 (C.18A:61E-7 et seq.) established in, but not of, the Department of State, a Campus Sexual Assault Commission.  This bill amends that law to:

· direct the commission to study and evaluate emerging issues, policies, and practices concerning dating and domestic violence and stalking on college campuses, in addition to campus sexual assault;

· provide that the commission’s members be appointed between 30 and 60 days after the issuance of the final report of the Working Group on Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments established pursuant to Executive Order No. 61 of 2019;

· change the requirement that one of the four public members appointed by legislative leaders be an individual who is a campus sexual assault survivor to a requirement that one of those four public members be a student involved in campus sexual assault education or advocacy;

· provide that the commission also monitor the response to, and implementation of, the recommendations put forth in the final report of the Working Group on Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments.  The current law requires the commission to monitor the response to, and implementation of, recommendations of the temporary campus sexual assault task force established pursuant to P.L.2015, c.165; and

· remove from the commission’s responsibilities a duty to develop and administer, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education, a campus climate survey every three years. Under the bill, the commission will monitor the progress of, and offer technical assistance to, institutions of higher education in implementing campus climate surveys. The institutions will conduct a campus climate survey every three years and submit de-identified survey data to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education for use by the commission.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

     The committee amended the bill to:

· eliminate the requirement that one of the five public members appointed by the Governor be a representative of an organization representing the concerns of victims of sexual assault at the State level;

· provide that at least one of the four public members appointed by the Legislature be a student involved in campus sexual assault education or advocacy;

· direct the commission to study and evaluate emerging issues, policies, and practices concerning dating and domestic violence and stalking on college campuses, in addition to campus sexual assault; and

· provides that the commission will offer technical assistance to institutions of higher education in implementing campus climate surveys, and requires the institutions to conduct a campus climate survey every three years and submit de-identified survey data to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.