Compassionate Care One of Three Bills to Pass in Two Days!

January 22nd and 23rd brought State Senate and Assembly passage of three important bills for survivors of sexual assault.

On Tuesday, January 22nd, the State Senate unanimously passed the the Strangulation Prevention Enforcement Act. The bill will allow law enforcement to better recognize and prosecute acts of strangulation. The Assembly already passed the measure in December.

In the Assembly, Wednesday, January 23rd saw final passage of both the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill and a bill that will protect child victims therapy records from unnecessary disclosure. Both bills were previously approved in the Senate.

WCASA has been working for passage of the Compassionate Care Bill for six years. The bill will require Wisconsin emergency rooms to provide victims with information about emergency contraception and dispense it to them upon request. Representatives Terry Musser and Mark Pocan and Senator Judy Robson lead a bipartisan group of legislators to ensure that the bill will be signed by the Governor in the coming months.

The other bill to pass Wednesday will restore confidential patient-therapist privilege for child victims of sexual assault. Legislative action was needed after the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in the Denis L.R. case, enlarged an exception to this confidential privilege beyond what was originally intended and is necessary.

Compassionate Care Update

The Assembly Judiciary Committee approved the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill, but not before attaching an amendment that guts the legislation. The Judiciary Committee amendment would allow individual professionals and entire institutions to not comply will the bill. This would actually lower victim protections, because individual professionals would be enabled to ignore or undermine their employer's policies and protocols for informing rape victims of their ability to prevent pregnancy. Here is a good Capital Times article that summarizes criticism of the amendment.

WCASA and the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Coalition are still hopeful that the full Assembly will honor victims by passing the Compassionate Care Bill without amendments.

You can help by emailing or calling your state representative and telling them, "to vote for the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill without amendment."

Compassionate Care Bill Receives a Assembly Hearing

The Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill received a public hearing in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Thursday, September 6th. This was an important step for the bill to become law. Numerous sexual assault survivors were joined by doctors, nurses and other citizens in asking the committee to approve the measure.

The Capital Times published an article about the hearing in Friday's paper .

Safe Housing Act Introduced

WCASA and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence [WCADV] are pleased that Rep. Scott Suder and Sen. Spencer Coggs have introduced legislation that would allow victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking to break their leases without incurring severe financial consequences when they are in danger. This legislation also would not allow lease provisions that punish victims for contacting emergency services.

Perpetrators of sexual assault often select victims who live in their own neighborhoods or even in their own residential buildings. When such an assault occurs, victims understandably desire to move in order protect themselves and/or their children from the perptrator. Unfortunately, many landlords do not allow these victims to break their leases without incurring severe financial hardship. The Safe Housing Act will help ensure that no victim has to choose between economic ruin and further victimization.

Please contact your legislators and urge them to, “Support Senate Bill 269 and Assembly Bill 520, the Safe Housing Act. " Here is a sample letter you can use.

Also consider sending an op-ed or letter to the editor of your local paper.

Compassionate Care for Rape Victims - Action Needed

After a tremendous 27-6 vote on May 16th in the State Senate the Compassionate Care moves on to the State Assembly. Both Republican and Democratic representatives have expressed strong bipartisan support for the measure.

The bill requires hospitals to provide sexual assault victims with medically accurate information regarding emergency contraception and provide it to them on request.

Please contact your legislators and ask them to support compassionate care for rape victims (SB129/AB377). Here is a sample letter you can use.

Also please consider sending a letter to the editor of your local paper. Here are two sample letters.

SAFE Funding Victory

On May 30th, the Joint Finance Committee approved funding for the sexual assault forensic exam (SAFE) program by a vote of 16-0. Under current law, if a survivor is unwilling to report the assault to police within five days and exhaust her personal medical insurance, there is a chance she may be forced to pay for the forensic exam. The SAFE program will ensure that no survivor of sexual assault will be required to pay for the costs of evidence collection.

With the committee’s approval, the SAFE Program is now a part of the budget that will go to both houses of state legislature for passage. This was an important step that makes it likely that the SAFE program will become a permanent part of Wisconsin law.

You can contact to your legislators and ask them that the SAFE fund remain included in the state budget.

2007-2008 Federal Legislative Priorities and Updates

Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
On January 5, 2006 President Bush signed the VAWA 2005 Reauthorization into law!! Now that VAWA has been reauthorized, it is critical that all of the programs in VAWA receive full funding, especially the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) and the Rape Prevention Education (RPE) Grant Program. Click here to find out who your Members of Congress are and encourage them to fully fund VAWA—especially the SASP and RPE provisions of VAWA. To learn more about the new VAWA, click here.

Preserve the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund
The President's proposed FY 2006 budget would wipe out the VOCA fund account that supports federal, state and local victim services, and many sexual assault service providers in Wisconsin, by removing $1.267 billion from the Crime Victims Fund. The VOCA funds consist of fines and penalties collected from federal offenders, NOT tax payer dollars! WCASA supports efforts to preserve this funding.

Contact your Members of Congress to ask them to reject the President’s budget request to rescind the VOCA balance.

In addition, the House Crime Victims' Rights Caucus has drafted legislation to protect the Crime Victims Fund by taking it "off-budget." The legislation is similar to the Social Security lockbox in that it would remove the Fund from the President's budget and require a "super" majority for Congress to use the Crime Victims Fund for purposes not authorized by the statute.

Please contact your Members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor and support this legislation, which is sponsored by Jim Costa (D-CA) and Ted Poe (R-TX).