In a unanimous 399-0 vote, the House of Representatives has approved the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act (HR 5578), legislation which outlines basic rights the justice system must provide to sexual assault survivors as they navigate the complex legal process, and takes critical steps to standardize the treatment of victims who come forward.
“The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act is designed to ensure that the necessary legal protections are in place so victims are not re-traumatized by a system intended to protect them,” said Smith. “These basic rights, as well the access to information the bill provides, will enable survivors to have greater confidence in the administration of justice. The more support and confidence victims have in the ability of our justice system to hold to account those who commit sex crimes, the more likely it is that victims will come forward and criminals will be prosecuted.”
Specifically, the bill ensures that victims are not discouraged from pursuing or forced to pay for the DNA evidence collected from the crime scenes (aka: “rape kits”); incentivizes states to provide survivors with information on the status and results of their rape kits, as well as preservation policies; and requires the federal government to develop, coordinate, and disseminate best practices for evidence preservation and sexual assault survivors’ care.
Smith, a member of the Victims’ Rights Caucus and author of critical legislation to protect women and children from abuse and exploitation, including the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (PL 106-386/ TVPA), Nicole's Law (HR 2120), and International Megan's Law (PL 114-119) continued: “DNA evidence has revolutionized the justice system’s ability to protect victims of sexual assault and has helped put perpetrators behind bars. But the backlog and inconsistency of state laws continues to hamper the ability to fully utilize this technology to protect survivors. This bill will help remove some of the unnecessary barriers to justice.”
A nearly identical bill was passed by the Senate on May 23, 2016 and the minor, technical changes are expected to be reconciled and sent to the President for his signature.
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