Contact:  Jessica Proud, 914-438-5325 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino on

College Campus Sex Assault Bill Pending in Albany

June 17, 2015

 "I continue to urge Governor Cuomo and the state legislature to fundamentally strengthen the proposed bill to crack down on sexual assaults on college campuses. The current version of this legislation includes improvements that my team of experts and others put forward, but it continues to rely on university employees to investigate and adjudicate sex crimes that should fall squarely in the jurisdiction of professional law enforcement authorities. It is a critical flaw in the bill that needs to be addressed before passage.

"Universities have an inherent conflict of interest in handling sex crimes. Time and time again, alleged sex crimes have been swept under the rug by college administrators seeking to protect the reputation of the institutions they serve.  The best way to address this conflict is to require universities to report criminal allegations to law enforcement officials, a mandate that is both legal and proper.

"In addition, the affirmative content provision in this legislation remains ambiguous, unrealistic, and unworkable.  I, and victims' rights and criminal justice experts with whom I have consulted, continue to believe that this part of the statute will result in legal chaos.

"Westchester County has more than a dozen colleges and universities, and their students deserve the best protection under the law. I remain hopeful that current campus policies can be strengthened, but I am unconvinced that the bill as currently written properly accomplishes that goal.  The state can and must do better than this."