Posted: | January 17, 2019 11:36 AM |
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From: | Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights |
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that would provide for a comprehensive bill of rights in Pennsylvania for survivors of sexual assault. Introduced last session by Senator Greenleaf, SB 742 passed the Senate unanimously while a similar version in the House was also approved unanimously. In October of 2016, the federal “Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act” was signed into law, guaranteeing basic rights for a sexual assault survivor. With passage of the federal law, there is now an effort to get a similar bill of rights law in every state. While the federal law provides basic rights for sexual assault survivors in federal cases, it should also serve as a model for states to adopt to ensure that the same rights and protections are extended to survivors at the state and local level, where the vast majority of sexual assault cases are tried. The rights include:
Previous co-sponsors of SB 742 include, Senators Sabatina, Yudichak, Costa, Fontana, Boscola, Bartolotta, Browne, Brewster and Leach. Please join me in co-sponsoring this vital legislation. |
Introduced as SB399