Mimi Walters
The Senate unanimously approved bicameral, bipartisan legislation on Thursday that U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA) introduced to establish rights for survivors of sexual assault.
The bill passed the House in early September and now goes to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act, H.R. 5578, which Walters introduced with U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), would ensure that sexual assault survivors in federal cases have a right to evidence collection kits, notification before a kit is destroyed, the ability to request preservation of kits, and to be informed of forensic findings.
“I am pleased the Senate joined the House of Representatives in approving the Survivors’ Bill of Rights,” Walters said. “The lack of substantive rights for sexual assault survivors prevents them from having full access to the justice system, but today, Congress has taken an important step towards repairing this uneven patchwork. This bipartisan legislation ensures basic rights in the federal criminal justice system and will set an example for states to adopt similar procedures and practices. I thank my colleagues in the House and Senate for their support, and I urge the president to sign these reforms into law. I will continue to advocate for victims of sexual assault and enact sensible reforms like this bipartisan bill.”
U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) cosponsored a Senate companion bill, the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act, S. 2566, that was approved by the Senate as part of the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act, S. 2613, to help empower survivors of sexual assault.
“I am pleased to see that Democratic leadership has put politics aside and allowed this important bill to pass so that we can work to further empower survivors of sexual assault,” Ayotte said. “As New Hampshire’s former attorney general, I worked with survivors of sexual violence, and I firmly believe we must do more to end this horrible crime. The forensic examination and investigation process can be grueling for survivors, and this bill will help ensure they are informed of their rights during the proceedings. This bipartisan legislation will also give survivors better recourse in the court system by fully preserving corresponding evidence for the complete period of the statute of limitations so that we can continue to investigate and prosecute these crimes.”