NEW YORK—A “yes means yes” provision and other protections against sexual assaults on campus would be expanded to New York’s private colleges and universities under a law proposed Saturday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The governor said the bill would combat sexual abuse “and the imbalance of power that women face across the board.” It would expand policies in effect since last year at the state’s public university system.
“It’s worked very, very well,” at the State University of New York, the governor said. “We now want to codify it as a law.”
The bill would require that a woman give “clear, unambiguous, and voluntary” consent before any sexual activity. To encourage victims to come forward, students reporting assaults would get immunity from related offenses such as drug use. And victims would be offered the option of reporting an assault to state police rather than campus authorities or a local police department.
Cuomo to Expand Safeguards Against Assault to Private Colleges
A “yes means yes” provision and other protections against sexual assaults on campus would be expanded to New York’s private colleges and universities under a law proposed Saturday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on April 16, 2013. Cuomo is proposing legislation that would expand to New York's private colleges the "yes means yes" regulations against sexual assault that have been adopted at the state's own university system. AP Photo/Mike Groll
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We now want to codify it as a law.
