BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 123| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: SCR 123 Author: Jackson (D), et al. Amended: 4/6/16 Vote: 21 SUBJECT: Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day California SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This resolution designates the month of April 2016 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and recognizes April 27, 2016, as Denim Day California. ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings: 1)Women, children, and men are all victims of sexual assault, and it is estimated that nearly one in two women and one in five men experience sexual violence other than rape throughout their lifetime. 2)In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault may also have severe and long-lasting consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide. 3)A coalition of rape crisis centers and their allies, known as the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, has emerged to directly confront this crisis with the cooperation of law enforcement agencies, health care providers, institutions of higher education, and other allied professionals from SCR 123 Page 2 California's diverse communities. 4)It is our responsibility to support all rape survivors by treating them with dignity, compassion, and respect. It is important to recognize the strength, courage, and challenges of the victims and survivors of sexual assault and their families and friends as they struggle to cope with the reality of sexual assault. 5)It is crucially important to hold perpetrators responsible for sexual attacks, and to prevent sexual violence at every opportunity. 6)In 1998, the Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman after the court determined that, "because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex." Enraged by the court decision, within a matter of hours, the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work. 7)Nations and states throughout the world have followed the lead of the Italian Parliament by designating their own "Denim Day" to raise public awareness about rape and sexual assault. This resolution: 1)Designates the month of April 2016 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 2)Recognizes April 27, 2016, as Denim Day California and encourages everyone to wear jeans on that day to help communicate the message that there is no excuse for and never an invitation to commit, rape. Prior Legislation SCR 43 (Galgiani, Resolution Chapter 57, Statutes of 2015) designated the month of April 2015 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and recognized April 29, 2015, as Denim Day California. SCR 123 Page 3 SCR 22 (Evans, Resolution Chapter 55, Statutes of 2013) designated the month of April 2013 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and recognized April 24, 2013, as Denim Day California. SCR 15 (Evans, Resolution Chapter 76, Statutes of 2011) designated the month of April 2011 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and recognized April 27, 2011, as Denim Day California. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified4/7/16) by California Coalition Against Sexual Assault OPPOSITION: (Verified4/7/16) None received Prepared by: Jonas Austin / SFA / (916) 651-1520 4/8/16 14:09:33 **** END ****