Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) has joined a bipartisan coalition of 18 House members to introduce the House version of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The legislation is the companion bill to legislation introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, which aims to address sexual assaults on college and university campuses by protecting and empowering students, strengthening accountability and transparency for institutions, and establishing stiff penalties for non-compliance with the legislation’s new standards for training, data, and best practices.

“No student should ever fear for his or her safety on the college campus they call home, and Congress must do more to ensure schools are working to prevent assaults from occurring and are providing important protections for victims,” said Congresswoman Annie Kuster. “I’m proud to work with my colleagues from across the aisle to help introduce this crucial piece of legislation, which will move us forward towards finding a solution to this crisis so we can stop sexual assault on campus.”

Kuster joined a bipartisan coalition to introduce the legislation; the coalition includes Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Patrick Meehan (R-PA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Ted Poe (R-TX), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Susan Brooks (R-IN), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Renee Ellmers (R-NC), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Reed (R-NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), David Joyce (OH-14), and Gary Peters (D-MI).

The bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act will make it in the schools’ immediate best interest to take proactive steps to protect their students and rid their campuses of sexual predators.

Congresswoman Annie Kuster is a strong advocate for policies that protect women and students. As a member of the U.S. House Veteran’s Affairs Committee and the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus, Kuster has helped lead efforts in the House to address and prevent instances of sexual assault in the military, and she is very concerned about widespread reports of sexual assault occurring on college campuses. She helped introduce this legislation to ensure that schools are adequately addressing these reports, and that victims have the support and resources they need.

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