Senate advances bill to standardize postsecondary misconduct supports and amnesty protections

The Senate advanced S120 on second reading after committee reports and amendments. The bill aims to create statewide standards for postsecondary institutions to provide confidential misconduct support, expand amnesty protections for students who report sexual misconduct, require annual trauma‑informed prevention programming, and adjust statutory placement of the intercollegiate harm prevention council so it applies to all postsecondary schools.

Senator from Wyndham, the bill's reporter, cited Vermont‑specific data on victimization rates for young adults and said stakeholders — including state colleges, private colleges, student groups, and victim‑support organizations — worked over the summer to reach consensus on the bill text. Key provisions include confidentiality protections tied to Title 12 VSA §1614 for certain support services, a requirement that schools maintain independently negotiated agreements with external confidential support providers, and an amnesty policy to protect reporting students from discipline for related alcohol violations unless conduct threatened another person's health or safety.

Appropriations action: The Senate's Appropriations Committee removed a $22,000 appropriation in section 6 and deferred that funding decision to later budget deliberations; committee members said this was not a decision not to fund the work but a timing decision. The committee reported favorably otherwise, and the Senate amended the education committee report as offered by Appropriations and ordered third reading.

Next steps: The bill is pending third reading on the floor. If enacted, colleges and universities will need to update policies to conform to the new state standards and coordinate with community partners for prevention and support programming.