HB 5399 Summary

• Establishes a Sexual Assault Criminal Justice Response, Enhancement and Model Policy Advisory Council effective July 1, 2024, to evaluate current criminal justice response to adult sexual assault victims and develop a model policy for law enforcement agencies.

• Council must evaluate law enforcement policies, data accuracy, risk assessments, enforcement of protective orders, programming for incarcerated offenders, and training for criminal justice stakeholders; council consists of 19 members including legislators, law enforcement, victim advocates, judges, and state officials.

• Council must submit initial model policy to Police Officer Standards and Training Council by July 1, 2025, with annual updates thereafter; each law enforcement unit must adopt and maintain a policy meeting or exceeding the model policy standards by September 1, 2025.

• Requires police officers responding to sexual assault incidents involving adult victims to provide immediate assistance including medical referrals, information about regional sexual assault organizations offering trauma-informed counseling, and referrals to the Office of Victim Services, effective October 1, 2024.

• Expands requirements for sharing information about domestic violence and sexual assault victim services by updating references to include sexual assault alongside domestic violence in school notification procedures and victim resource materials.