Legislation Provides Clarity and Additional Protections for Survivors
JEFFERSON CITY — Legislation affirming rights for survivors of sexual assaults is one step closer to becoming law with the Missouri Senate’s approval of Senate Bill 775, 751 and 640. The measure combines three separate bills, including one sponsored by Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, to enact recommendations made by the Missouri Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force. Passed unanimously by the Senate, the legislation now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
“This bipartisan legislation provides survivors with a more concise enumeration of their rights and sets clear expectations for all parties involved in providing justice and care after a sexual assault occurs,” Sen. Schupp said. “Countless hours were devoted over the course of a year to arrive at this legislation, and I’m confident this bill will provide a new and higher standard of care for survivors to help ensure justice.”
Senate Bill 775 is the result of nearly a year’s work by the task force, which included members of the Legislature, along with law enforcement officials, prosecutors, health care professionals and advocates for sexual assault survivors. The bill includes a revised “Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights,” which was introduced as Senate Bill 640, sponsored by Sen. Schupp. A previous version of the Bill of Rights was enacted in 2019, but faced challenges in court. The legislation passed unanimously by the Senate addresses those legal challenges and offers additional protections, including a prohibition against prosecutors prying into the sexual history of witnesses in assault cases.
For more information on Sen. Schupp’s legislation, visit her official Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/schupp.