Elections (and elected officials) come and go, but sexual violence affects hundreds of thousands of Americans year after year after year. That’s why RAINN works tirelessly to inform, educate, and engage our country’s lawmakers in survivor-centered, nonpartisan policy conversations.
Here’s how our efforts created critical change in the last full month of summer:
⭐ July 31: Victims’ VOICES Act Signed Into Law by President Biden
>>> READ THE VICTIMS’ VOICES ACT
STATUS: Signed into law!
SPONSORS: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) with cosponsors Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
WHY DOES THIS LAW MATTER? The Victims’ VOICES Act enables “restitution for expenses of persons who have assumed the victim’s rights.” In other words, it requires a perpetrator to reimburse a survivor’s advocate for the expenses they incurred while helping the survivor obtain victim services or attend court proceedings.
For instance, parents of child survivors commonly miss work, lose wages, incur medical bills, and pay numerous expenses directly related to the crime against their child. Thanks to the Victims’ VOICES Act, these parents can receive much-needed restitution.
⭐ August 8: Massachusetts Holds Doctors and Police Accountable for Sexual Abuse
>>> READ MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE BILL 4350
STATUS: Signed into law!
SPONSORS: Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-MA) and Rep. Kate Hogan (D-MA)
This bill is necessary to ensure survivors of sexual violence have the means to seek justice against those who betray their trust to commit sexual assault. We urge your consideration and signature of this legislation.
– From RAINN’s letter urging Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to sign H4350
WHY DOES THIS LAW MATTER? Even among trusted professionals like law enforcement officers and medical practitioners, some bad actors leverage their positions of power to commit abuse and assault. In the past, these influential individuals could derail a survivor’s pursuit of justice by claiming that predatory acts were consensual.
This Massachusetts law criminalizes “sexual assault by fraud” and clarifies that people in trusted positions of influence cannot extract consent due to an inherent power imbalance.
By passing legislation that holds physicians and police accountable for sexual abuse, Massachusetts strengthens a survivor’s odds of obtaining justice.
⭐ August 9: Ohio Officially Made Spousal Rape a Crime
>>> READ OHIO HOUSE BILL 161
STATUS: Signed into law!
Effective August 9, 2024, H.B. 161 closed the loophole that effectively made spousal rape legal in the state. By eliminating the spousal exception rule, this Ohio legislation provides a long-needed path to justice for survivors of spousal rape.
SPONSORS: First introduced by former Ohio State Rep. Jessica E. Miranda (D-OH-28) in 2021, H.B. 161 was brought into 2023 by State Rep. Brett Hillyer (R-OH-51) where it received near-total bipartisan support. A single “no” vote was cast by State Rep. Bill Dean (R-OH-71).
What’s the Deal with Spousal Rape Loopholes?
“Centuries-old laws that exempt individuals from prosecution for spousal rape unfortunately persist in many U.S. states,” explained Stefan Turkheimer, RAINN vice president of public policy. “Previously, if an Ohioan reported a rape like this to the police but their rapist was also their spouse, there was no law under which the police or prosecutors could take legal action.”
Though H.B. 161 was not introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives until April 2023, anti-sexual violence advocates have been fighting to criminalize spousal rape in the Buckeye State since the 1980s.
“Historically, bills that target spousal rape exemptions have proven incredibly difficult to get into committee, let alone the floor,” said Turkheimer, “so the Ohio legislature’s nearly unanimous, bipartisan support of this bill is truly noteworthy.”
Survivors of Spousal Rape Prompted Unprecedented Policy Change in Ohio
Rep. Hillyer’s sponsorship propelled H.B. 161 into the House Criminal Justice Committee where a public hearing provided the first opportunity for survivors of spousal rape to have their stories heard.
“Survivors shared powerful testimony about the lasting harms they endure since being raped by a spouse,” Turkheimer recalled. “Their perpetrators will never be held accountable for those crimes, but their stories compelled Ohio lawmakers to close the spousal rape loophole, enabling future victims to seek the justice they deserve.”
NOW: Support the TAKE IT DOWN Act
>>> READ THE TAKE IT DOWN ACT
STATUS: Passed the Senate Finance Committee—but more action is needed before the TAKE IT DOWN Act can become law.
SPONSOR: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) with extensive bipartisan support
THE ISSUE: To prosecute someone for a crime, that person’s actions must have violated a law. No law = no prosecution. RAINN is working with legislators nationwide to criminalize a rapidly emerging threat: online sexual abuse.
WHY DOES THIS BILL MATTER? The TAKE IT DOWN Act would criminalize the distribution of nonconsensual intimate images (NCII) and AI-generated “deepfakes.” Once law, TAKE IT DOWN would also require online platforms to implement processes for reporting NCII and removing it within 48 hours.
By establishing a criminal penalty along with a mandatory takedown provision, we can help prosecute offenders and stop the spread of NCII.
NOW: Support Legislation to Stop Involuntary Pelvic Exams in Oklahoma
>>> READ OKLAHOMA HOUSE BILL 3099
STATUS: HB 3099 was converted to an interim study, meaning a committee of legislators met to learn about the issue from a subject matter expert—in this case, RAINN Director of State Legislative Affairs, Mollie Montague.
RAINN presented the findings of the interim study on August 29, 2024.
>>> WATCH RAINN’S 8/29 PRESENTATION TO LAWMAKERS
SPONSOR: Rep. Marylyn Stark (R-OK-100)
THE ISSUE: In some states, certain medical practitioners may perform medically unnecessary exams on sedated patients in the course of educating medical students or residents. Unsurprisingly, many patients have been traumatized to learn they were subjected to an unauthorized and unnecessary pelvic examination while they were unconscious.
WHY DOES THIS BILL MATTER? HB 3099 would require Oklahoma healthcare providers to obtain explicit informed consent before performing a pelvic examination on a patient. If introduced again and passed into law, this Oklahoma bill will help protect all patients against medically unnecessary examinations and prevent the retraumatization of survivors of sexual assault.
Here’s What YOU Can Do to Stop Involuntary Pelvic Exams
Do you live in Oklahoma? Urge Oklahoma lawmakers to back Rep. Stark’s legislation!
Contact your state representative and demand they support legislation to require explicit informed consent for pelvic exams.
Not an Oklahoman? If you live in one of the following states, contact your representative and share RAINN’s recommendations for writing effective legislation on involuntary pelvic exams:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
RAINN Represented at the National Conference of State Legislatures
RAINN engaged with legislators and staff from across the U.S. at the 2024 National Conference of State Legislatures in Louisville, Kentucky.
Director of State Legislative Affairs, Mollie Montague; VP of Public Policy, Stefan Turkheimer; and Policy & Grassroots Coordinator, Zoey Brewer-Brown at the 2024 National Conference of State Legislatures
Our presence at NCSL enabled countless face-to-face conversations with state lawmakers—the influential people who craft bills, introduce policy, and change laws at the state level. We continue to urge legislators to join us in promoting policy solutions that center survivors and tear down barriers to justice.
Comments? Questions? Policy tips?
Contact RAINN’s policy team at policy@rainn.org.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you are not alone. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support for survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and via chat at hotline.RAINN.org and in Spanish at RAINN.org/es.