U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) on Aug. 4 introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to ensure protections and rights for all sexual assault survivors, according to the congressman’s office.
Rep. Armstrong joined U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to introduce the Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act. The measure would build upon the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act passed by Congress in 2016 that guaranteed rights for survivors of sexual assault in federal cases and led to 42 similar laws passed.
“Our bill incentivizes states to guarantee that forensic evidence is preserved, victims are informed of forensic testing results, and are notified in writing if forensic evidence is scheduled to be destroyed,” Rep. Armstrong said. “The collection and preservation of forensic evidence is key to bringing justice for victims, and I am honored to help advance this bipartisan legislation.”
If enacted, the Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act would encourage states to ensure that survivors at a minimum are guaranteed specific rights under federal law, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Armstrong’s staff, including: the right not to be prevented from, or charged for, receiving a medical forensic examination; the right to have a sexual assault evidence collection kit or its probative contents preserved without charge for the maximum applicable statute of limitations or 20 years, whichever is shorter; and the right to be informed of any result of a sexual assault evidence collection kit.
States that ensured the provision of such rights would be entitled to 10 percent of their STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants, according to the bill summary.
“No survivor should ever suffer the indignity of being charged for their rape kit or have their rape kits destroyed without their consent before the statute of limitations has expired,” said Rep. Speier. “Survivors deserve better than a patchwork of laws that vary from state to state – their rights should be bedrock.”
Amanda Nguyen, founder and CEO of Rise, and Terri Poore, policy director at the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence endorsed the measure.
“Every 73 seconds an American is sexually assaulted,” Nguyen said. “We are so grateful that Congress is working together in a bipartisan way to support survivors across the country.”