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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION directing the Legislative Research Commission 1
to study access to sexual assault nurse examiners. 2
WHEREAS, a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) is a highly trained and 3
specialized registered nurse who provides compassionate and comprehensive care to 4
patients who have experienced sexual assault or abuse; and 5
WHEREAS, a registered nurse who holds a SANE A/A credential issued by the 6
Kentucky Board of Nursing is trained in the forensic examination of adults and 7
adolescents who have reached the onset of physiological normal puberty or older who 8
have been the victim of sexual assault or abuse; and 9
WHEREAS, a registered nurse who holds a SANE P/A credential issued by the 10
Kentucky Board of Nursing is trained in the forensic examination of pediatrics and 11
adolescents who have not reached the onset of physiological normal puberty or 12
individuals up to age 18 who have been the victim of sexual assault or abuse; and 13
WHEREAS, a SANE collects and preserves evidence and testifies in legal 14
proceedings of sexual assault or abuse cases; and 15
WHEREAS, a SANE works in collaboration with the investigative team, 16
prosecutors, the multidisciplinary healthcare team, and protection and advocacy centers 17
to ensure that sexual assault victims receive adequate trauma-informed care after a sexual 18
assault; and 19
WHEREAS, as of 2024, there were 449 credentialed SANE A/As and 41 20
credentialed SANE P/As; and 21
WHEREAS, in Kentucky there are six training centers for the SANE A/A 22
credential and two for the SANE P/A credential; and 23
WHEREAS, the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) Act of 2016 has 24
increased the number of law enforcement officers trained to respond to and investigate 25
sexual assault, increased the number of credentialed SANEs and SANE-ready hospitals, 26
decreased the window of time to test forensic evidence, created a sexual assault forensic 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1171
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evidence (SAFE) kit tracking portal, paved the way for funding additional sexual assault 1
investigators dedicated to solving these types of crimes, and more; and 2
WHEREAS, there are 22 hospitals in Kentucky with a SANE-ready designation, 3
but some do not employ more than one SANE who is available 24/7; and 4
WHEREAS, the Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee identifies 5
increasing access to SANE care across the Commonwealth as one component of 6
addressing sexual violence that needs urgent action; and 7
WHEREAS, analysis of access to SANEs in the Commonwealth is necessary to 8
help identify policy options for improving access so that greater justice may be achieved 9
for citizens of the Commonwealth who are victims of sexual assault and abuse and 10
greater safety may be secured for all citizens of the Commonwealth; 11
NOW, THEREFORE, 12
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 13
Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein: 14
Section 1. The staff of the Legislative Research Commission is directed to 15
complete a study of the access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) in emergency 16
care settings. Staff shall consult with the members of the Sexual Assault Response Team 17
Advisory Committee established in KRS 403.707 in conducting the study. 18
Section 2. The study required by Section 1 of this Resolution shall include, to 19
the extent the data is available, but not be limited to an analysis of: 20
(1) The geographical gaps in SANE coverage by hospitals; 21
(2) The barriers to filling the geographic gaps in SANE coverage by hospitals; 22
(3) The geographic location of credentialed SANE A/As and SANE P/As; 23
(4) The number of credentialed SANE A/As and SANE P/As employed full-time 24
in emergency care settings and by which hospitals; 25
(5) The number of hospitals that employ a SANE full-time and the hospital 26
department of employment; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1171
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(6) The number of hospitals with SANEs employed full-time that are designated 1
as SANE-ready hospitals; 2
(7) The number of hospitals that contract with a SANE for on-call services; 3
(8) The number of hospitals that contract with a SANE for on-call services that 4
are designated as SANE-ready hospitals; 5
(9) The barriers to hospitals obtaining a SANE-ready designation; and 6
(10) For each of the preceding 5 years: 7
(a) The number of sexual violence victims who have been referred or transferred 8
from a hospital emergency department in the Commonwealth to another hospital 9
emergency department for completion of a sexual assault forensic examination, the 10
reason for the referral, and the county where the referral was made; and 11
(b) The number of sexual assault forensic examinations (SAFE) completed in 12
each hospital, the credentials of the person completing each SAFE, and whether a rape 13
crisis center advocate was contacted as required by 502 KAR 12:010. 14
Section 3. (1) The report of the completed study required by Section 1 of 15
this Resolution shall include but not be limited to a: 16
(a) Description of the problem; 17
(b) Detailed analysis of the data listed in Section 2 of this Resolution; 18
(c) Discussion of any data in Section 2 of this Resolution that is not available for 19
analysis; and 20
(d) Discussion of any policy options to improve data collection and to address the 21
need for greater access to credentialed sexual assault nurse examiners. 22
(2) A report of the completed study shall be submitted to the Legislative Research 23
Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services and the 24
Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary no than December 1, 2025. 25
Section 4. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 26
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 1171
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issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to 1
designate a study completion date. 2