By: Watson S.R. No. 931
SENATE RESOLUTION
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, That Senate Rule 12.03 be
suspended in part as provided by Senate Rule 12.08 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:
Senate Rule 12.03(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.
_______________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 28, 2017, by the
following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate