Kirk Watson Files Bills To Address Sexual Assault On College Campuses

Style Magazine Newswire | 2/24/2017, 10 a.m.
An Austin lawmaker has proposed a suite of legislation that would protect victims of sexual assault on public and private …
State Sen. Kirk Watson/credit Tamik Kalifa

An Austin lawmaker has proposed a suite of legislation that would protect victims of sexual assault on public and private college campuses and address loopholes in statute. Among the bills that state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, filed on Tuesday included Senate Bill 967 that would change the definition of consent in sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault charges. Under the bill, a victim couldn’t give consent if the victim is unaware that the sexual assault is happening and is “incapable of appraising the nature of the act,” and if the perpetrator knows the victim has withdrawn consent but continues anyway. The bill also would no longer allow perpetrators to mistake consent if a reasonable person should have known or understood that the victim did not consent.

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