Video of Kuster’s floor remarks is available here

Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) welcomed final passage in the Senate of the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act, legislation cosponsored by Kuster in the House that would codify rights for sexual assault survivors, including the right to a medical forensic examination without charge. The legislation would also protect evidence, such as rape kits, from being destroyed without notice or before the statute of limitation on a crime has lapsed. The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act will now head to President Obama’s desk for his signature. 

“Survivors of sexual assault face far too many obstacles without also having to worry about whether they will be supported by the criminal justice system,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act is a significant step toward ensuring that survivors are able to pursue justice without unnecessary burdens hindering their efforts, and I’m pleased it will be heading to the President’s desk for his signature. It’s long overdue that we change the culture around sexual assault, and I know that we are on the right path to do just that.”

Congresswoman Kuster has long been a champion for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Earlier this month, Kuster took to the House floor to honor the incredible courage and strength of Chessy Prout, who was sexually assaulted by an upperclassman at her boarding school when she was 15 years old. Earlier this year, Congresswoman Kuster shared her own  personal experiences involving sexual assault on the House floor. She also joined with 17 other Members of Congress to read on the House floor Emily Doe’s open letter describing her attack and ensuing trial – which marked the first time a victim’s statement has been read in full in the House chambers.

A longtime cosponsor of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which would require schools that receive federal funding to strengthen prevention, education, and reporting measures, Kuster is also helping to introduce new legislation with her colleague from California, Representative Jackie Speier: the Safe Transfer Act, which would strengthen measures to increase transparency for students when perpetrators transfer to their campuses, and the No Funding for Sexual Harassers Act, which would require schools found guilty of violating Title IX, a statute used in part to evaluate schools that are mishandling sexual assault cases, to report these violations to grant-making agencies, like NASA and the NSF. Both of these bills would help enhance accountability and improve transparency on college campuses.

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