Bipartisan plan punishes people who use position of authority to silence survivors

State Rep. Julie Alexander today said Michigan’s laws must be updated to ensure victims and witnesses of sexual assault are not prevented from reporting to law enforcement.

Legislation introduced by Alexander, of Hanover, would ensure anyone who uses a position of authority to prevent another person from reporting criminal sexual conduct can be held accountable. The bill is part of a comprehensive bipartisan plan developed following a legislative inquiry into the handling of sexual assault cases at Michigan State University.

“Sexual assault is a widespread problem that exists not only on college campuses, but in every community across our state,” Alexander said after testifying before the House Judiciary Committee. “We must take every step necessary to fix the broken system and prevent another failure like this from occurring again.”

Alexander said current Michigan law only covers the use of physical force in preventing the reporting of sexual assault to authorities. House Bill 4374 would make it crime for an individual to intentionally use their professional position of authority to prevent such a report.

“While the use of physical force is the most obvious form of persuasion, the use of power or authority over an individual is often just as coercive,” Alexander said. “Anyone who attempts to prohibit a survivor from reporting sexual misconduct must be held accountable.”

The plan remains under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.

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