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R E S O L U T I O N
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BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of |
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Texas, 85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, That House Rule 13, |
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Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule 13, |
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Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to |
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resolve the differences on Senate Bill 968 (a sexual assault policy |
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at certain public and private institutions of higher education and |
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to requiring those institutions to provide students and employees |
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an option to electronically report certain offenses to the |
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institution) to consider and take action on the following matter: |
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House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit the |
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committee to add text on a matter which is not included in either |
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the house or senate version of the bill in SECTION 1 of the bill, in |
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amended Section 51.9363, Education Code, to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.9363. [CAMPUS] SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY. (a) In this |
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section, "postsecondary educational institution" means an |
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["]institution of higher education or a private or independent |
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institution of higher education, as those terms are defined[" has
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the meaning assigned] by Section 61.003. |
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(b) Each postsecondary educational institution [of higher
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education] shall adopt a policy on [campus] sexual assault |
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applicable to each student enrolled at and each employee of the |
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institution. The policy must: |
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(1) include: |
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(A) definitions of prohibited behavior; |
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(B) sanctions for violations; and |
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(C) the protocol for reporting and responding to |
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reports of [campus] sexual assault; and |
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(2) be approved by the institution's governing board |
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before final adoption by the institution. |
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(c) Each postsecondary educational institution [of higher
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education] shall make the institution's [campus] sexual assault |
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policy available to students, faculty, and staff members by: |
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(1) including the policy in the institution's student |
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handbook and personnel handbook; and |
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(2) creating and maintaining a web page on the |
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institution's Internet website dedicated solely to the policy. |
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(d) Each postsecondary educational institution [of higher
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education] shall require each entering freshman or undergraduate |
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transfer student to attend an orientation on the institution's |
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[campus] sexual assault policy before or during the first semester |
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or term in which the student is enrolled at the institution. The |
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institution shall establish the format and content of the |
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orientation. |
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Explanation: This addition is necessary to expand to private |
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or independent institutions of higher education the requirements |
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regarding a sexual assault policy and to require the policy to |
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encompass all incidents of sexual assault, regardless of whether |
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those incidents occur on or off campus. |