Fallout from committee meeting on sexual assault bill yields more complaints

Article here. Excerpt:

'State Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, said there is bipartisan confusion within the Higher Education and Employment Committee about a bill she introduced to help shift the way society thinks about sexual assault.

While state Rep. Mike Bocchino, R-Greenwich, was openly criticized by the Connecticut Democratic Party for comments he made during discussion of the bill at a recent meeting, Flexer said he was just one of several people from both parties to make “unfortunate comments.”

The proposed legislation, which was forwarded to the Senate by a 14-3 vote, would move the burden of proof in sexual assault cases on college campuses from the victim to the alleged perpetrator, Flexer said. Currently, the victim must convince investigators that she said “no,” while this bill would put the onus on the accused to prove she said “yes.”

Bocchino’s remark was made in the context of his concerns about ambiguity in the bill’s definition of “affirmative consent.”

“We have an obligation to make certain that this bill, this legislation that we will finally pass, is true and just and cannot be interpreted in any other way,” Bocchino said at the committee meeting, voicing concern for those who might be wrongfully accused while demonstrating less sensitivity toward the victims of sexual assault: “Because at the end of the day, there are no witnesses — at least if there are, it’s a really great party.”'