Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her hope Wednesday that a uniform sexual assault policy covering both public and private schools statewide could be in place soon.
The Cuomo Administration is seeking to enforce similar policies on public and private college campuses. Those policies were approved this past winter by the SUNY system. When New York State lawmakers passed the new budget last week, however, they did not vote to expand the sexual assault policy to private campuses.
Hochul says several lawmakers from the New York City area have concerns.
"We have plenty of time between now and the end of session at the end of June to make sure that appropriate language is inserted that basically the policy that is enacted for all the SUNY schools now is applicable to the private schools as well." Hochul said.
The campaign to get a policy in place, meanwhile, is moving full speed ahead.
"I'm going to continue going on the road, assembling roundtables of survivors and administrators and students to talk about how we can first get education out there but make sure the survivors understand they have rights," Hochul said. "This should be treated as a crime, the crime that it is, and make sure there's consequences."
Hochul referred to the current campaign as the new phase to the process to get the policy enacted.
