House Judiciary Committee Approves Survivors Bill of Rights Act

This bipartisan bill provides protections and access to a legal process for survivors of sexual assaultWashington, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee today approved by voice vote the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016 (H.R. 5578) to provide protections and access to a legal process for survivors of sexual assault. Representatives Mimi Walters (R-Calif.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif) introduced this bipartisan bill to ensure that sexual assault survivors in federal criminal cases have a right to a sexual assault evidence collection kit, are notified in writing before the kit is destroyed, request preservation of the kit, and are informed of important results from a forensic examination. The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act also requires the Attorney General and the United States Department of Health and Human Services to convene a joint working group on best practices regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors and the preservation of forensic evidence. Representative Walters, Representative Lofgren, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), praised today’s approval of the bill in the statements below. Rep. Walters: “Survivors of sexual assault have experienced unspeakable trauma, and they should not face unnecessary barriers to justice.  The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act ensures basic rights in the federal criminal justice system and sets an example for states to adopt similar procedures and practices.  I thank Chairman Goodlatte, Representative Zoe Lofgren, and my colleagues for their support, and I look forward to this bill’s consideration by the full House of Representatives.” Rep. Lofgren: “The criminal justice system for rape survivors is currently an insufficient, broken patchwork that deprives victims of a fair legal process. That’s why standardizing baseline procedures for rape survivors across jurisdictions is so important. Today’s strong, bipartisan vote in the House Judiciary Committee to send this commonsense set of legal procedures and protections to the House floor will put us one step closer to ensuring victims of sexual assault have meaningful access to justice.” Chairman Goodlatte: “Sexual assault survivors should not have to face further trauma and barriers to justice after such a traumatic experience. The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act standardizes procedures and enhances protections for survivors of sexual assault to ensure dignified care and access to justice for them. I applaud Representatives Walters and Lofgren for introducing this important bipartisan bill and urge the House to take it up soon.” ###