House votes to boost campus sexual assault prevention efforts

The House late Wednesday adopted a proposal to increase funding for college campus sexual assault prevention programs.

Adopted by voice vote, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-Ariz.) amendment to the 2015 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill would hike funding for grants to reduce campus sexual assault by $1 million, for a total of $12.5 million. It would be offset by cutting the Justice Department’s salaries and expenses account by the same amount.

{mosads}”We must do more to protect students and equip universities to respond appropriately to sexual assault on campus,” Sinema said.

Republicans raised no objections to the proposal.

“I think it’s a very good amendment,” said Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee. 

Sinema’s amendment comes after the Department of Education announced earlier this month that 55 universities were under Title IX investigations for allegedly mishandling campus sexual assault cases.