Abbott urged to tackle campus assault bill
Lawmaker seeks law to require reporting of alleged sex crimes
AUSTIN — With a special legislative session set to begin next month, state Sen. Joan Huffman wants Gov. Greg Abbott to add a bill imposing new sexual assault reporting requirements on college officials to lawmakers’ to-do list.
In a June 27 letter to the governor, Huffman, a Houston Republican, requested that Abbott add “legislation requiring institutions of higher education in Texas to establish safe, appropriate, and reliable avenues for reporting instances of sexual assault and violence.”
Abbott called a special session to begin July 18, following a regular session that ended in May, and listed nearly 20 items for state lawmakers to consider.
Huffman, a former Harris County prosecutor, cited a recent study from the University of Texas System that found 10 percent of undergraduate female students and 4 percent of male undergraduates reported being raped.
“It is imperative that victims and witnesses have a safe and reliable reporting structure,” Huffman said in the letter.
Abbott, a Republican, signed two bills this month related to campus sexual assaults. Senate Bill 969 gives a student who reports a sexual assault amnesty from potential prosecution, even if they violated other laws. Senate Bill 968 allows students and college employees to submit electronic and anonymous reports of sexual assaults to their institutions.
Both bills, authored by Democratic Sen. Kirk Watson, of Austin, went into effect immediately after Abbott signed the bills June 12, since lawmakers approved the legislation by wide margins.
Huffman’s Senate Bill 576 passed the upper chamber in a 30-1 vote, but it did not receive a vote in the House.
Her proposal would have required all college and university employees to report any accusations of campus sexual assault, harassment and dating violence they become aware about.
The penalty for noncompliance would include termination and up to 180 days in jail, while college employees who intentionally concealed a sexual assault could spend up to one year in jail.
SB 576 drew staunch opposition from student leaders and sexual assault survivors, who argue that they should be able to decide when to report their rape.
“It is time to put a real and tangible number to the occurrence of these criminal acts on Texas campuses so colleges and universities can take their first steps toward eliminating sexual assault and violence through the creation of innovative and meaningful reporting structures,” Huffman wrote. “Texans also demand that those who intentionally withhold or hide reportable information on sexual violence are held accountable for these omissions.”
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Huffman’s letter.