Shaheen Marks 10-Year Anniversary of Her Landmark Survivors’ Bill of Rights Law to Empower Survivors of Sexual Assault

**The Shaheen-authored law created the first federally codified rights for sexual assault survivors and is the cornerstone of a career-long effort to support survivors** (Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee , marked 10 years since her groundbreaking Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act , also known as the Survivors’ Bill of Rights, was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2016. The law created the first-ever federally codified rights specifically for sexual assault survivors, allowing survivors the opportunity to enforce those rights in federal court. “More than a decade ago, I met with a young woman whose horrific story and struggle for justice and accountability helped launch an effort to reform how sexual assault survivors are treated in our criminal justice system. No person should ever have to wonder if they will be treated fairly after reporting a sexual assault, and it was that aim that led me to craft the Survivors' Bill of Rights,” said Senator Shaheen. “After this historic legislation was passed by Congress and signed into law, I was proud to continue working across the aisle to make sure the legal system works for, not against, survivors by expanding the protections in the Survivors’ Bill of Rights to apply to all states. Make no mistake, there is still so much more we need to do to change the culture around how sexual assault survivors are treated and to prevent harassment and assault from happening in the first place. Even as my time in the Senate comes to an end, I will keep fighting to ensure survivors are heard and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.” The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act was inspired by a meeting with sexual assault survivor Amanda Nguyen and was shaped by input from dozens of nationally recognized experts in the sexual assault advocacy community. Specifically, the Survivors’ Bill of Rights addresses the unique challenges faced by sexual assault survivors, particularly regarding notice, access and preservation of sexual assault evidence collection kits. Shaheen and Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) bipartisan Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act was signed into law as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 national defense authorization legislation, and built on the success of Shaheen’s initial legislation by ensuring that all survivors across the country, not just those in federal cases, are protected. Throughout her career in the Senate, Shaheen has been an unyielding champion of efforts to establish basic rights and protections for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV). Recently, Shaheen introduced new, bipartisan legislation, the Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act , that would help service members who have experienced sexual assault or harassment over the course of their service hold the government accountable. Shaheen also leads the bipartisan, bicameral Protect Moms from Domestic Violence Act , which would protect the health and well-being of pregnant persons who have experienced IPV, and the Fair Housing for Survivors Act , which would enhance safety measures for people who have experienced IPV and sexual assault by providing them with fair housing protections. As a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and former Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, Shaheen has continually worked to boost services and resources for survivors. In the bipartisan FY 2026 government funding legislation , Shaheen secured $10 million for continued implementation of her Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights grant program, which encourages states to ensure that survivors have, at minimum, the rights guaranteed to them under federal law, including the right to be provided a medical forensic examination without charge, to have a sexual assault evidence collection kit kept for 20 years or the statute of limitations and to be fully informed about the result of testing a kit. ###