LANSING, Mich. (May 4, 2023) — Today, the Michigan Senate passed an extensive, bipartisan package of legislation to bolster state laws regarding sexual assault and offer greater support for survivors. Senate Bills 66–73 include key policy reforms that have been passed through at least one legislative chamber each term since 2018.
“After years of work, the Senate has finally been able to deliver these important policy changes that survivors and advocates have been calling for,” said Sen. Stephanie Chang, sponsor of Senate Bill 66. “I am grateful for the individuals and organizations who have shared their stories and continued to be engaged in this effort to strengthen our laws to better protect our residents. I also appreciate the support for this package from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, which helps illustrate that this is a universal concern. Sexual assault is something that happens too frequently and today we are taking important steps forward to address it.”
Senate Bill 66 would require the Department of Education to make materials regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment available to school districts and require districts to provide those materials to students in grades 6-12. Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Sen. Sue Shink, would provide a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemption for any information that would reveal the identity of a party who proceeds anonymously in a civil action in which that party alleges that they were the victim of sexual misconduct.
The other bills in the package deal specifically with sexual assault under the guise of medical care, criminalizing it and outlining corresponding penalties. The bill numbers, lead sponsors and descriptions are as follows:
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Senate Bill 67 (Sen. Dan Lauwers) would prohibit sexual contact or sexual penetration under the pretext of medical care and create felony penalties for a violation.
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Senate Bill 68 (Sen. Erika Geiss) would amend the sentencing guidelines to include the new felonies proposed by SB 67.
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Senate Bill 69 (Sen. Lana Theis) would prohibit medical professionals from performing sensitive procedures and examinations on minor patients except under certain circumstances and create a felony penalty for a violation.
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Senate Bill 70 (Sen. Ruth Johnson) would amend the sentencing guidelines to include the felony proposed by SB 69.
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Senate Bill 71 (Sen. Roger Hauck) would require medical professionals to preserve a patient’s records for medical services involving vaginal or anal penetration for at least 15 years and create penalties for a violation.
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Senate Bill 72 (Sen. McDonald Rivet) would amend the sentencing guidelines to include the felonies proposed by SB 71.
“We all put our utmost trust in the medical professionals who care for us, and betrayal of that trust is unacceptable,” said Sen. Erika Geiss, sponsor of Senate Bill 68. “By explicitly outlawing the sexual abuse of patients by medical professionals, and outlining strict penalties for these crimes, we can help prevent these types of assaults from happening ever again and give greater recourse to survivors if it does.”
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