Campus Accountability and Safety Act
The Campus Accountability and Safety Act would amend the Higher Education Act and the Clery Act to expand how colleges and universities prevent, report, and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. It would require institutions receiving federal education funds to provide more prominent and accessible campus safety information, including website publication in accessible formats and different languages, and to report more detailed annual statistics about incidents, disciplinary outcomes, and cases that close without resolution when a respondent withdraws.
The bill also creates a new framework for campus support services. Institutions would have to designate one or more sexual and interpersonal violence specialists, establish victim-centered and trauma-informed procedures, provide written notice of rights and options to complainants, offer information about accommodations and reporting choices, and maintain website information about resources, amnesty policies, and disciplinary processes. The Secretary of Education would be required to develop training materials, create a public campus safety website, and issue regulations through negotiated rulemaking. The bill also expands federal campus violence grant programs to include sexual harassment and directs GAO to study the effectiveness of those grants.
If enacted, the bill would significantly expand federal compliance obligations for institutions of higher education that receive federal funds under the Higher Education Act. It would amend Clery Act reporting requirements, add new definitions and disclosure rules, require new campus support personnel and training, and authorize civil penalties of up to 1 percent of an institution’s operating budget for noncompliance. It would also broaden Violence Against Women Act campus grant eligibility and reporting to include sexual harassment, while requiring the Department of Education to make certain enforcement and contact information publicly available.
The bill text and available context suggest a strongly protective, survivor-centered approach to campus sexual misconduct, with an emphasis on transparency, access to services, and standardized institutional procedures. The introduction by Senators Gillibrand and Grassley indicates bipartisan sponsorship, but there is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials. As a result, the available record shows policy support in the bill’s design, but no documented floor or committee sentiment beyond the introduction and referral.
The main points of contention likely concern federal oversight, institutional burden, and due process. The bill would impose detailed reporting, staffing, training, and website requirements on colleges, and it authorizes substantial civil penalties for noncompliance, which could be controversial for institutions. Another likely issue is the balance between survivor privacy and transparency, since the bill requires public reporting and disclosure while also limiting personally identifiable information. The bill also addresses coordination with law enforcement and disciplinary procedures, which may raise concerns among advocates and schools about confidentiality, mandatory reporting, and the scope of campus adjudication versus criminal justice processes.