A bipartisan, bicameral bill led by U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) addressing the nationwide shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) became law on March 15 with the president’s signature as part of the fiscal year 2022 omnibus spending package.
“With our bill now signed into law, we can get to work increasing access to SANE-certified nurses in our communities and improving care for survivors of sexual violence,” Rep. Joyce said.
The congressman on Feb. 15 sponsored the Supporting Access to Nurse Exams Act, H.R. 6735, with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC), to amend the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2004 to increase access to SANEs. It is the companion bill to the same-named S. 3648, introduced on Feb. 14 by U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“As a former prosecutor, I know how traumatic it can be for survivors of sexual violence to report their assault to medical professionals and law enforcement,” said Rep. Joyce, a co-chair of the Congressional Nursing Caucus and the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence. “That’s why I introduced the SANE Act to address the nationwide shortage of certified sexual assault nurse examiners and ensure survivors don’t face unnecessary hurdles to receive an exam from nurses trained to detect, treat and document injuries caused by an assault.”
The new law will establish qualified regional SANE training programs; provide full and part-time salaries for SANEs, including pediatric SANEs; and increase access to SANEs by providing training, education or technical assistance related to the collection, preservation, analysis, and use of DNA samples and DNA evidence collected by SANEs, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Joyce’s staff.
The law also requires the Attorney General to prioritize grants to increase the local and regional availability of full and part-time SANEs in rural and tribal areas, and in areas where there is a health professional shortage or an underserved population, the summary says.
The measure became law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, H.R. 2471, which President Joe Biden signed into law on Tuesday.