State legislators announce proposal for new affirmative consent bill

Article here. Excerpt:

'Two state legislators announced the proposal of a new affirmative consent bill at the University of Connecticut Women’s Center Friday.

The bill, co-sponsored by state Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, and state Rep. Gregory Haddad, D-Mansfield, would require university disciplinary boards in Connecticut to determine if there was “unambiguous and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity” when trying sexual assault cases, according to a Feb. 12 press release. This would apply to both public and private institutions of higher learning.

Flexer said the new legislation is intended to build on the sexual assault awareness programs signed into law by Gov. Dannel Malloy in 2014 by standardizing colleges’ definitions of consent.

“One of the really important things is the training around consent and talking with students when they initially come to campus, and during their time on campus, about what consent is and what it looks like,” Flexer said. “A student who attends college in the state of Connecticut should have the same expectation of safety as a student who currently attends UConn.”

Affirmative consent policies could also simplify the university court process by creating a “different measure” of consensual sex.'