SOS Campus Act

Mr. President, sexual assault is a major issue on our Nation's college campuses. Too many young people are sexually assaulted while in school. Alarmingly, the majority of these crimes will go unreported. The consequences of these crimes are often destructive to a student's mental, physical, and emotional well-being. In addition, the trauma of the assault and its aftermath drives many survivors to drop out of school.

Sexual assault survivors deserve access to a safe and supportive educational environment. I have met with students in Virginia and across the Country who have expressed the need for someone on campus to turn to for unbiased advice and guidance following an assault. Given the prevalence of this issue, it is clear that our federal higher education policy must do more to prevent sexual assaults and ensure that survivors have access to and can navigate through a plethora of resources.

This is why I am pleased to introduce today the Survivor Outreach and Support Campus Act of 2017 or SOS Campus Act. The SOS Campus Act requires universities that receive Federal funding to establish an independent, on-campus advocate for survivors of sexual assault. The advocate will help students access all of the resources available to them, both on and off campus, in the wake of a sexual assault and will guide them through the process of reporting their assault if they choose to do so, acting always in the interests of the victim, not the university.

The SOS Campus Act requires that the confidential advocate is responsible for ensuring that survivors, regardless of whether they decide to report the crime, have access to emergency and follow-up medical care, guidance on reporting assaults to law enforcement, medical forensic or evidentiary exams, crisis intervention, and information on their legal rights. The advocate will also conduct a public information campaign on campus to inform students of their services, and train other university staff to provide information to students about the advocate.

I am proud to introduce this legislation that would ensure all college students across our Country have access to a supportive advocate following a sexual assault on campus. I strongly ertdourage my colleagues in the Senate to consider this legislation to help protect our students from sexual violence and its damaging impact.

Mr. President, sexual assault is a major issue on our Nation's college campuses. Too many young people are sexually assaulted while in school. Alarmingly, the majority of these crimes will go unreported. The consequences of these crimes are often destructive to a student's mental, physical, and emotional well-being. In addition, the trauma of the assault and its aftermath drives many survivors to drop out of school.

Sexual assault survivors deserve access to a safe and supportive educational environment. I have met with students in Virginia and across the Country who have expressed the need for someone on campus to turn to for unbiased advice and guidance following an assault. Given the prevalence of this issue, it is clear that our federal higher education policy must do more to prevent sexual assaults and ensure that survivors have access to and can navigate through a plethora of resources.

This is why I am pleased to introduce today the Survivor Outreach and Support Campus Act of 2017 or SOS Campus Act. The SOS Campus Act requires universities that receive Federal funding to establish an independent, on-campus advocate for survivors of sexual assault. The advocate will help students access all of the resources available to them, both on and off campus, in the wake of a sexual assault and will guide them through the process of reporting their assault if they choose to do so, acting always in the interests of the victim, not the university.

The SOS Campus Act requires that the confidential advocate is responsible for ensuring that survivors, regardless of whether they decide to report the crime, have access to emergency and follow-up medical care, guidance on reporting assaults to law enforcement, medical forensic or evidentiary exams, crisis intervention, and information on their legal rights. The advocate will also conduct a public information campaign on campus to inform students of their services, and train other university staff to provide information to students about the advocate.

I am proud to introduce this legislation that would ensure all college students across our Country have access to a supportive advocate following a sexual assault on campus. I strongly ertdourage my colleagues in the Senate to consider this legislation to help protect our students from sexual violence and its damaging impact.

Mr. President, today I would like to discuss the importance of ensuring that federally funded infrastructure projects are built to withstand flood damage.

As we work to provide Federal support to the people of Texas, Florida, and the Gulf Coast, Congress should consider how we can ensure that our roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure are better equipped to withstand future flooding.

In 2015, President Obama signed an executive order to reinforce and expand existing policy regarding Federal action in a floodplain, directing agencies to use a higher vertical flood elevation and horizontal floodplain for federally funded projects. This was a common- sense step to improve our resilience in the face of increased flood risk.

Then last month, President Trump signed an executive order to reverse his predecessor's action. Despite support from groups ranging from environmentalists to the insurance industry, the President has decided to undo what a former director of public affairs at FEMA called ``the most significant action taken in a generation to safeguard U.S. infrastructure.''

We must prepare our Nation's critical infrastructure to deal with flooding. That is why I am I, along with Senators Schatz and Booker, am introducing the Flood Risk Management Act of 2017. This bill will codify common-sense flood standards and ensure that federally funded infrastructure projects are built to withstand flood damage. The legislation is supported by the Smarter Safer Coalition, a diverse group of organizations ranging from insurance groups, environmental organizations to taxpayer advocates.

If we fail to invest when our roads and bridges are being built, we risk the lives of American families and ultimately spend more taxpayer dollars to repair them after floods occur. Now is the time to prepare for the next disaster--not after it occurs.

Mr. President, the IRS has never been, and likely will never be, an agency anyone is glad to hear from.

However, American taxpayers should at least have confidence that they will receive a fair shake from the agency. Without this, our system of taxation that relies on voluntary reporting of income will fall apart.

In recent years, gross mismanagement and inappropriate actions by certain IRS employees have shaken what confidence taxpayers have had in the agency.

Today, Senator Thune and I are reintroducing legislation we introduced last Congress aimed at ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect taxpayer rights by preventing IRS abuses.

Called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act (TBORE), our bill updates and strengthens several provisions enacted in prior Taxpayer Bill of Rights legislation.

I am pleased that several of the provisions in last Congress' version of the bill were enacted into law, including codifying the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

However, more must be done if we are going to renew the taxpaying public's confidence in the IRS.

No legislation is likely to fix all of the IRS recent shortcomings on its own. There is a need for a change of culture within the IRS.

We hope our bill will serve as a catalyst for a cultural shift within the IRS. Our bill sends a clear message to the IRS--Congress is not going to tolerate poor service and the systematic abuse of taxpayer rights.

We look forward to working with our colleagues toward reforming the IRS and protecting taxpayer rights.