State Rep. LeGeyt Supports Legislation to Prevent Sexual Assault on College Campuses

HARTFORD- State Rep. Tim LeGeyt (R-17) joined fellow legislators of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee of the CT General Assembly in holding a public hearing recently.  Members of the general public, in addition to those in professional and administrative roles, testified on various bills in hopes of having them raised for debate in the legislature this session. 

Among them was House Bill 5029, An Act Concerning Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence on Campus.  The purpose of the bill is to improve campus sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence policies and the response of institutions of higher education to such reports against their students and employees.   University officials, mental health providers, crisis service workers, and past victims of sexual assault gave testimony.

“I proudly co-sponsored this important piece of legislation,” said LeGeyt, Ranking Member of the Higher Education Committee.  “This bill expands the reporting responsibilities of universities to include sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence in addition to mandating that universities provide prevention and awareness programs.  Another important component of the bill is support for victims of sexual assault and intimate partner violence with the provision of trained crisis response teams.” 

LeGeyt further commented, “If we accept the statistic that 1 in 5 women are assaulted in their college years, and that only 20% of those victims actually report the assault, the sad reality is that the silent majority of victims do not come forward.  As we look to the percentage of incidents and the intent to improve reporting, this is a multifaceted problem that should have everyone concerned about what our college students endure.” 

The Higher Education Committee has voted this bill out of committee and up to the floors for debate in the legislature later this session.  

Please visit www.replegeyt.com for news and commentary on the latest happenings in the 17th Assembly District and at the State Capitol. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas please feel free to contact me at (800) 842-1423 or email tim.legeyt@housegop.ct.gov.

LeGeyt represents Avon and Canton in the General Assembly.

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