Des Moines Sun

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have reintroduced the Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA), a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing sexual assault on college and university campuses. The legislation seeks to improve how higher education institutions handle and report sexual assault cases, as well as to protect both survivors and accused students by establishing uniform procedures for investigations and disciplinary actions.

The proposed law would also provide new resources and support services for survivors of sexual assault. It sets out requirements for notifying both survivors and accused students about their rights during campus disciplinary processes.

“Across America, inconsistent enforcement mechanisms are failing to treat sexual assault crimes with the seriousness they deserve. We’re taking action to change that. Our legislation creates a coordinated approach to address incidents of sexual assault on college campuses. It would inform university protocols for handling reports, and it would strengthen recovery resources for survivors and empower them to know their rights,” Grassley said.

“Sexual assault on college campuses remains a serious and persistent problem, and it is up to us in Congress to protect survivors and make sure these crimes are handled with fairness,” Gillibrand said. “The bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act would strengthen the support network for survivors and increase accountability for schools by creating a standardized process for investigating instances of sexual assault. This will help survivors get the justice they deserve and ensure a fair process for everyone involved. I’m proud to lead this legislation and committed to working across the aisle to get it passed.”

Key provisions of CASA include increasing transparency through expanded reporting requirements under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Institutions would be required to post campus safety policies, annual security reports, complaint instructions, and statistics on sexual misconduct allegations online.

The bill also directs colleges to hire specialists trained in sexual and interpersonal violence who would serve as confidential aides for victims, with mandatory training provided by the Department of Education. It ensures that individuals reporting sexual misconduct in good faith are not penalized for related conduct such as alcohol or drug use revealed during their report.

Additionally, CASA proposes expanding the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Campus Grant Program to address sexual harassment on campuses, while requiring an evaluation of VAWA grant effectiveness within two years of enactment.

Grassley and Gillibrand have previously introduced CASA in 2014 and have continued efforts toward its passage. They were also behind other legislative measures related to sexual assault prevention, including the Speak Out Act in 2022—which clarified that nondisclosure agreements cannot prevent survivors from speaking publicly—and reforms in military justice systems included in recent defense bills.

Grassley has played a prominent role in advocating for survivor protections, notably chairing a congressional hearing after revelations about USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse, leading to legislation strengthening federal sex tourism laws signed into law as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.