First Regular Session
               Seventieth General Assembly
                    STATE OF COLORADO
                                                 INTRODUCED
                                                           
                                                           
 LLS NO. 15-0800.01 Michael Dohr x4347   HOUSE BILL 15-1296
                    HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
 Fields and Priola,  Landgraf, Arndt, Becker K., Buckner, Court, Danielson, Dore, Esgar,
 Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Hullinghorst, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Lontine, McCann, Melton,
 Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Pabon, Pettersen, Primavera, Rosenthal, Ryden, Salazar, Singer, Tyler,
 Vigil, Williams, Wilson, Windholz, Winter, Young
 
                   SENATE SPONSORSHIP
 Hill and Newell, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 House Committees
 Senate Committees
 
 
 Public Health Care & Human Services
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                         A BILL FOR AN ACT
       Concerning creation of a task force to study campus sexual
            assault policies.
       
       
                           Bill Summary
       
            (Note:  This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
       not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
       passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
       applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
       http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.)
       
            The bill creates a higher education sexual assault task force. The
       task force includes students, administrators, victim advocates, and higher
       education law enforcement officers. The task force will study affirmative
       consent and other sexual assault policies.
            The task force shall submit a report to the department of higher
       education and the general assembly by July 1, 2016.
       
       
       Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
            SECTION 1.  Legislative declaration. (1)  The general assembly
       hereby finds and declares that:
            (a)  The state of Colorado is home to over 470 colleges and
       universities, educating a total population of approximately 400,000
       students annually;
            (b)  Colleges and universities serve Colorado by providing higher
       education to today's and tomorrow's leaders and contributing to the
       greater good of society;
            (c)  Sexual assault is a social problem that must be addressed;
            (d)  Sexual activity without consent has been recognized as
       particularly problematic between and among traditional college-aged
       individuals;
            (e)  An institution of higher education has a duty to investigate and
       adjudicate sexual misconduct that affects students' educational
       opportunities and must discharge that duty regardless of any criminal
       investigation or prosecution that local law enforcement might pursue;
            (f)  Institutions of higher education have confronted challenges in
       drafting appropriate sexual consent requirements and in communicating
       those requirements to their students;
            (g)  Institutions of higher education have adopted a wide range of
       sexual consent standards by which they judge sexual misconduct, in some
       cases leading to confusion among victims, respondents, and the general
       student population; and
            (h)  The General Assembly recognizes a need to continue
       evaluating and developing best practices for sexual consent definitions
       and applications for college and university campuses.
            SECTION 2.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, add section 23-5-143
       as follows:
            23-5-143.  Higher education sexual assault task force - repeal.
       (1)  The executive director of the department of higher
       education shall establish a task force of stakeholders
       constituting an equal number of students and administrators,
       including those with experience with sexual assault issues, from
       each sector of public and private Colorado institutions of
       higher education that are eligible to receive state funds for
       student financial assistance, as well as two representatives
       each from the victim advocacy and higher education law
       enforcement communities, which representatives shall be
       selected with input from institutions of higher education, to
       conduct a study of the experiences of institutions of higher
       education in implementing and enforcing differing standards of
       sexual consent and other sexual assault policies, including how
       such standards affect campus culture, victim reporting,
       deterrence, prosecution, civil rights, and civil litigation.
            (2)  The task force shall submit a written report
       summarizing its findings to the Colorado department of higher
       education and the general assembly no later than July 1, 2016.
            (3)  This section is repealed effective July 1, 2017.
            SECTION 3.  Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds,
       determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
       preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.