VIDEO: Grassley Meets with Sexual Assault Prevention Advocacy Leaders
WASHINGTON – Senator
Chuck Grassley of Iowa on Tuesday met with sexual assault survivors Amanda
Nguyen and Evan Rachel Wood to discuss policies supporting victims of sexual
violence. Nguyen, the founder of RISE, worked with Grassley to pass the Survivors’
Bill of Rightsin 2016. Wood, star of the HBO series “Westworld”
partnered with Nguyen and her advocacy organization, RISE, to raise awareness
for sexual assault victims.
In
the meeting, Grassley spoke about plans to introduce a reauthorization of the Violence
Against Women Act this year.
Grassley
first began working with Nguyen in 2016. After hearing her story, Grassley
worked with Nguyen to develop the Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which
requires cost-free access to and extended preservation of forensics
examinations for survivors of sexual assault. The proposal was included in
the bipartisan Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act, which Grassley led
through the Senate Judiciary Committee and full
Senate in 2016. A very similar companion bill later was introduced in
the House of Representatives and became
law.
Grassley
and Nguyen released a video following the meeting here.