Lawmakers introduce college sexual assault bill
State legislators on Monday introduced legislation that would require California colleges and universities to adopt uniform definitions of sexual assault and similar policies for reporting and preventing attacks.
Senate Bill 967 was co-authored by state Sens. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and calls for schools not to allow students accused of sexual assault to use drunkenness or drug use as a defense. It also calls for schools to explicitly state that students who are incapacitated by drugs or alcohol cannot give consent to a sexual encounter.
Further, the bill calls for colleges to adopt sexual assault policies that protect the confidentiality of alleged victims and to enter into agreements with organizations, including rape crisis centers, to assist alleged victims.
Several local schools, including Occidental College and USC, are under federal investigation for their handling of alleged sexual assaults.
Twitter: @latjasonsong
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