NJ lawmakers introduce bills to strengthen sexual assault prevention on college campuses

Colleges would face new reporting requirements as the state seeks to identify gaps in prevention and support for survivors.

State lawmakers want to strengthen efforts to prevent sexual assault on college campuses and improve transparency and oversight under a trio of bills introduced amid national outrage over an alleged gang rape at Cornell University.

One of the bills, A-5597, would require public and private colleges and universities in New Jersey to use a standardized campus climate survey developed by the state to collect data about sexual assault and misconduct, including students’ experiences, attitudes about sexual violence, awareness of available resources, and feedback about how institutions respond to allegations. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywomen Carmen Theresa Morales and Maureen Rowan and Assemblyman Vinnie Kearney.

State law already requires colleges to conduct campus climate surveys every four years, but each institution uses its own version, making comparisons difficult. The legislation would establish a uniform survey, require colleges to publish their results online while protecting students’ privacy, and direct the state’s Campus Sexual Assault Commission to conduct annual analyses to identify trends and track progress.

Colleges could add their own questions to the survey to address campus-specific concerns, but those responses would not be submitted to the state.

A second bill, A-5598, would require every college and university to designate a campus safety liaison to coordinate sexual assault prevention and response efforts across departments. The liaison would be required to have expertise in federal Title IX requirements and campus sexual violence prevention. The legislation is sponsored by Assemblywomen Marisa Sweeney and Linda Carter, with Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill as a co-sponsor.

The bill would require the state to designate a coordinator to oversee campus sexual assault prevention efforts and serve as a liaison between colleges and community organizations. It would expand the Campus Sexual Assault Commission’s responsibilities to include providing technical assistance, improving communication with community organizations, and maintaining an online repository of resources and best practices.

A third bill, A-5599, would require the state Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to coordinate sexual assault prevention efforts among colleges, state and local agencies, and community organizations. The office would review campus climate survey findings, identify effective prevention and response strategies, and establish an online resource center with information about campus policies, programs, and services for survivors.

The bill would also require the Campus Sexual Assault Commission to host educational events, including an annual statewide conference where colleges, advocates and other stakeholders could share research and strategies for preventing sexual assault. The legislation is sponsored by Assemblywomen Heather Simmons and Ellen Park and Assemblyman Cody Miller.

All three bills reflect the recommendations that were made in an April 2026 action plan from the Campus Sexual Assault Commission, which called for stronger campus safety oversight, improved statewide data collection and greater coordination among colleges, government agencies and community organizations.

Lawmakers introduced all three bills in the General Assembly on Oct. 5, and they have been referred to the chamber’s Higher Education Committee.

At Cornell University in upstate New York, a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe told campus police a few weeks after an alleged 2024 assault that fraternity brothers from the school’s Chi Phi chapter had pressured her to drink and use drugs before sexually assaulting her.

Cornell officials said the school suspended some students and expelled others. The woman sued Cornell, the now-defunct fraternity chapter and seven former students in September, bringing the case back into the public eye.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has removed the local district attorney from the case and appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the reopened criminal investigation.

Robert Baran, a co-director at the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, told The Jersey Vindicator on Friday that holding individuals and institutions accountable for sexual misconduct is a critical part of addressing sexual violence. The bills, he said, are a good first step, especially the climate survey bill.

Baran said the lack of a standardized survey makes it difficult to compare data because schools aren’t always asking the same questions.

“It’s really hard sometimes to compare apples to apples,” Baran said. “You want it to be a valid tool that everyone’s using, but if everyone’s using a tool that’s not particularly useful, that could really diminish some of the great work some campuses are doing … they’ve really taken this issue seriously.”

Baran said he appreciated the sponsors’ efforts to address sexual violence and believed the bills were introduced in good faith.

The bills could also help colleges change their cultures from the top down, particularly when some students arrive on campus with a poor understanding of what consent means, he said.

Many schools already have programs in place to address sexual violence, but further accountability measures could help bring about more lasting changes in campus culture, Baran said.