The head of the Georgia Senate's higher education committee said Tuesday it's unlikely a contentious bill filed last year that would impose new mandates on how colleges and universities report and handle sexual assault accusations will be reviewed this year.
Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, said during a joint higher education committee hearing that a "campus rape" bill led by Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, won't move forward as Georgia lawmakers await new federal guidelines regarding how schools handle sexual misconduct complaints.
“I don’t anticipate us dealing with (the bill) for the balance of the session,” he said near the end of the hour-long meeting.
Millar said he’s discussed the bill’s status with Ehrhart.
About two dozen of the bill’s critics attended the hearing. Many of them were pleased with Millar’s comments.
The bill’s critics said the legislation would protect those accused of rape at the expense of the victims, while Ehrhart has said it would merely provide those accused with due process protections.
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