ASSEMBLY BILL 176: THE SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS BILL OF RIGHTS
During the 2019 legislative session, members of the legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 176, The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. The purpose of the new law is to ensure that every survivor of sexual assault is supported and understands their rights. The law achieves this by requiring the Office of the Attorney General to develop and distribute a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights document; requiring access to a victim advocate; providing funding for the expansion of advocacy services; and creating the Advisory Committee on Rights of Survivors of Sexual Assault.
- The Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights may be accessed here.
- Se puede acceder a la Declaración de Derechos de Sobrevivientes de Agresión Sexual aquí.
The Advisory Committee is tasked with making recommendations for Nevada relating to sexual assault victims’ advocacy and rights.
Assembly Bill 176 also makes funding available for SFY20 and SFY21 in the amount of $150,000 each year to recruit and train sexual assault advocates. The new advisory group will meet to begin discussions about how to most effectively use these funds and will develop a solicitation to incorporate the needs that are identified through the conversation.
The Advisory Committee on the Rights of Survivors of Sexual Assault:
By law, the Committee is limited to 15 members, and must include:
- the Attorney General,
- the Director of NDOC,
- A law enforcement official appointed by the NV Sheriffs and Chiefs Association, and
- An attorney appointed by the governing body of the State Bar of Nevada.
The Attorney General must also appoint:
- A resident of Nevada who is a survivor of sexual assault,
- A representative of a victims rights’ organization,
- A representative of a center of support for victims of sexual assault,
- A representative of a forensic laboratory,
- A representative of an NSHE institution whose duties include direct services
- to victims of sexual assault,
- A member of an organization providing services to minority communities,
- A representative of an organization providing services to LGBTQ persons, and
- A nurse examiner specializing in forensic sexual assault examinations.
The Attorney General may appoint up to three additional members.
MEETINGS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.