85R33359 KJE-D
By: Alvarado H.R. No. 2609
R E S O L U T I O N
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of
Texas, 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, That House Rule 13,
Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule 13,
Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to
resolve the differences on Senate Bill 968 (a sexual assault policy
at certain public and private institutions of higher education and
to requiring those institutions to provide students and employees
an option to electronically report certain offenses to the
institution) to consider and take action on the following matter:
House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit the
committee to add text on a matter which is not included in either
the house or senate version of the bill in SECTION 1 of the bill, in
amended Section 51.9363, Education Code, to read as follows:
Sec. 51.9363. [CAMPUS] SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY. (a) In this
section, "postsecondary educational institution" means an
["]institution of higher education or a private or independent
institution of higher education, as those terms are defined[" has
the meaning assigned] by Section 61.003.
(b) Each postsecondary educational institution [of higher
education] shall adopt a policy on [campus] sexual assault
applicable to each student enrolled at and each employee of the
institution. The policy must:
(1) include:
(A) definitions of prohibited behavior;
(B) sanctions for violations; and
(C) the protocol for reporting and responding to
reports of [campus] sexual assault; and
(2) be approved by the institution's governing board
before final adoption by the institution.
(c) Each postsecondary educational institution [of higher
education] shall make the institution's [campus] sexual assault
policy available to students, faculty, and staff members by:
(1) including the policy in the institution's student
handbook and personnel handbook; and
(2) creating and maintaining a web page on the
institution's Internet website dedicated solely to the policy.
(d) Each postsecondary educational institution [of higher
education] shall require each entering freshman or undergraduate
transfer student to attend an orientation on the institution's
[campus] sexual assault policy before or during the first semester
or term in which the student is enrolled at the institution. The
institution shall establish the format and content of the
orientation.
Explanation: This addition is necessary to expand to private
or independent institutions of higher education the requirements
regarding a sexual assault policy and to require the policy to
encompass all incidents of sexual assault, regardless of whether
those incidents occur on or off campus.