AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would increase university reporting requirements of incidents of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence and stalking.
Senate Bill 212 (SB 212) as it was originally introduced states that employees who don't report all information about incidents they see or are told about – excluding the name of the victim if they work in a position that includes a confidentiality agreement – would be fired and could be charged with a crime.
Additionally, under SB 212, a university's Title IX coordinator would be required to submit a written report on reports received to the institution's CEO. The Title IX coordinator would also be required to inform the CEO of a reported incident immediately if they thought the person was in imminent danger. And at least once a semester, the CEO would be required to submit to the university's governing body and post on the university's website a report concerning reports received.
SB 212 also states that if the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board finds a university isn't in compliance with the reporting requirements, the board may assess a penalty of up to $2 million.
To read more about the bill as it was originally introduced, click here. Amendments passed on Tuesday are not yet available to view.
SB 212, which was authored by Senator Joan Huffman and co-authored by Sens. Royce West and Judith Zaffirini, was originally filed on November 30, 2018. It was read for the first time on February 1. Tuesday, it was read for a second time, amended and passed.
It will now be sent to the House of Representatives.