New Jersey colleges that mishandle sexual assault allegations could be hit with a $10,000 fine, according to a report by NJ Advance Media.
If the New Jersey state bill is passed, the state’s secretary of higher education would be allowed to impose a fine if a university is found to not have sufficiently punished a student sexual assault offender. The school could also be fined if it did not properly handle allegations made by one student against another, according to the report.
138 rapes were reported at New Jersey’s four-year institutions in 2016, 24 percent higher than the previous year.
The bill cleared the New Jersey Senate Higher Education Committee this week, but opponents of the bill point out that it is too vague.