An Act Requiring Institutions Of Higher Education In The State To Disclose Certain Information To Victims In Title Ix Proceedings.
Summary
HB 7100 would amend Connecticut’s higher-education campus safety statute to require colleges and universities to disclose more detailed information to victims and reporting parties in Title IX-related proceedings involving sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence. The bill expands the list of required policy disclosures that institutions must include in their annual campus crime reports, covering affirmative consent standards, reporting options, evidence preservation, access to advocacy and counseling services, protective orders, academic and housing accommodations, and the institution’s investigation and disciplinary procedures.
It also adds a new requirement that institutions create a process for victims who are not students or employees to report alleged misconduct by a student or employee and to participate in the institution’s investigation and disciplinary process. The bill specifies that institutions must provide written notice of disciplinary outcomes, protect party identities except as allowed by law, and explain available sanctions. The effective date is July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would amend General Statutes section 10a-55m(b), increasing the disclosure and procedural obligations of institutions of higher education in Connecticut. It would not create a new standalone enforcement system, but it would require schools to update campus policies, annual crime reports, and Title IX-related procedures to include the expanded victim information and reporting rights. The affected parties are colleges and universities, students and employees involved in sexual misconduct proceedings, and non-student victims who allege misconduct by campus community members.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill in committee: the Higher Education Committee reported it out Joint Favorably on a 18-0 vote. No committee transcript is available here, but the unanimous vote indicates broad agreement on the need for clearer victim information and procedural transparency in campus sexual misconduct cases. Overall, the bill appears to have been received positively and without recorded opposition at the committee stage.
Contention
The bill’s main policy choices center on how much information institutions must disclose and how Title IX-style proceedings should be structured. Potential points of contention include the affirmative consent standard, the requirement to allow advisors or support persons without delaying proceedings, the obligation to honor protective orders, and the extension of reporting and participation rights to victims who are not students or employees. Another possible area of debate is the balance between victim access to information and privacy protections for accused students or employees, especially given the bill’s limits on disclosure of party identities and its reliance on FERPA-compliant notice.