New Jersey lawmakers introduced three bills last week aimed at tightening sexual assault prevention and oversight at the state's colleges and universities, requiring standardized campus climate surveys, designated safety liaisons, and a new statewide resource hub for survivors. The measures, introduced on October 5, were referred to the General Assembly Higher Education Committee the same day.
The legislative package arrives amid national outrage over an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, as reported by The Jersey Vindicator. According to court documents, a woman identified as Jane Doe told campus police that fraternity brothers from Cornell's Chi Phi chapter pressured her to drink and use drugs before sexually assaulting her in 2024. Cornell officials said the school suspended some students and expelled others, and in September 2026 Doe sued Cornell, the now-defunct Chi Phi chapter, and seven former students.
The Cornell case escalated further when New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order on October 1 removing Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten from the case and appointing state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee a reopened criminal investigation, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. Hochul cited a loss of faith in local prosecutors following details disclosed in Doe's civil suit, which alleged a seven-hour assault involving coerced alcohol and drug consumption, per Al Jazeera.
Van Houten Defends Original Decision, James Faces Pushback
Van Houten has defended his office's original 2024 decision not to prosecute, stating that a six-page sworn statement given to campus police in November 2024 did not allege non-consensual drugging, Al Jazeera reports. He has agreed to fully cooperate with James' special inquiry. Meanwhile, defense attorneys representing the former students named in the civil lawsuit filed court motions this month seeking James' removal as special prosecutor, claiming her appointment politicized the criminal case, according to CBS News.
Back in New Jersey, the three bills reflect recommendations in an April 2026 action plan from the state's 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. That report, titled “Transforming Campus Climate Action Plan,” responded to findings from New Jersey's first statewide campus climate survey cycle, according to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
Standardizing Surveys Across Every Campus
Assembly Bill A-5597, sponsored by Assemblywomen Carmen Theresa Morales and Maureen Rowan and Assemblyman Vinnie Kearney, would require New Jersey public and private colleges to use a state-developed standardized campus climate survey. The survey would collect data on sexual assault and misconduct, student experiences, attitudes about sexual violence, resource awareness, and institutional responses. Colleges would be allowed to add campus-specific questions, but responses to those additional questions would not be submitted to the state.
Current New Jersey law requires colleges to conduct climate surveys every four years, but schools currently use different survey versions, making cross-campus comparisons difficult. A-5597 would require colleges to publish survey results online while protecting student privacy, and would direct the Campus Sexual Assault Commission to conduct annual comparative analyses to identify sector-specific and statewide trends — an expansion beyond current law, which lacks an explicit annual reporting requirement, per statutory text filed with the New Jersey Legislature.
New Safety Liaisons and a Statewide Coordinator
Assembly Bill A-5598, sponsored by Assemblywomen Marisa Sweeney and Linda Carter, along with co-sponsor Alixon Collazos-Gill, would require every college and university to designate a campus safety liaison with expertise in federal Title IX requirements and campus sexual violence prevention to coordinate prevention and response across departments. The bill would also require the state to designate a coordinator to oversee campus sexual assault prevention and liaise with community organizations, and would expand the Campus Sexual Assault Commission's responsibilities to include technical assistance, improved communication with community groups, and an online repository of resources and best practices.
Assembly Bill A-5599, sponsored by Assemblywomen Heather Simmons and Ellen Park and Assemblyman Cody Miller, would require the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to coordinate sexual assault prevention among colleges, state and local agencies, and community organizations. The office would review campus climate survey findings to identify effective prevention and response strategies, and the bill would establish an online resource center on campus policies, programs, and survivor services. Under the bill's statutory text, all provisions would take effect on the first day of the sixth month following enactment, according to the measure filed with the New Jersey Legislature.
A-5599 would also require the Commission to host educational events, including an annual statewide conference that would allow colleges, advocates, and stakeholders to share research and prevention strategies.
Advocates Call It a Good First Step
Robert Baran, a co-director at the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, told The Jersey Vindicator that accountability for sexual misconduct is critical to addressing sexual violence. He said the bills are a good first step, particularly the campus climate survey legislation, noting that a standardized survey makes data comparisons easier because schools would ask consistent questions.
Baran said he appreciated the sponsors' efforts and believed the bills were introduced in good faith. He added that the measures could help colleges change campus cultures from the top down, especially given that some incoming students have a poor understanding of consent, and that further accountability measures could lead to more lasting culture change even though many schools already run sexual violence prevention programs.
NJCASA operates as the statewide umbrella organization representing 21 county-based rape crisis centers alongside Rutgers University's Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance, according to NJCASA. The group provides technical assistance and community-level prevention resources across the state. New Jersey's higher education master plan, “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation,” frames student safety and inclusive campus environments as core performance objectives for the state's colleges and universities, positioning campus safety as a factor that influences student enrollment and institutional trust, per the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
