Sen. Marlatt wins unanimous approval for “anti-Sandusky” bill

Legislation to prevent cover-ups of on-campus sexual assaults and child abuse has been approved by the full Senate. Senate Bill 1889, by Sen. Bryce Marlatt, won unanimous approval on Tuesday. Marlatt described it as the “anti-Sandusky” bill.

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is facing multiple counts of sexual abuse of children, including assaults that allegedly occurred on campus.

“The ongoing criminal case against Sandusky has raised some important issues about how institutions handle scandals,” said Marlatt, R-Woodward. “One of the concerns is whether Penn State’s campus police, who answer to the university’s administration, may have failed to prevent other children from being victimized in an effort to protect the institution. That’s exactly the kind of situation we hope to prevent with this legislation.”

Under SB 1889, if a campus police department receives a report of rape or child abuse within their jurisdiction, the campus police would in turn have three days after the assault is reported to notify the district attorney. Once the investigation has been completed, the campus police would then be required to give the district attorney the results of the investigation and whether further action would be taken.

SB 1889 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.