Sacramento — Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire’s California College Sexual Harassment Disclosure Act (SB 791) passed the Senate, and is headed to the State Assembly. The legislation is a massive step forward and will help ensure perpetrators are effectively removed from the Golden State’s college system.

Between 2017 and 2021, 54 employees at CSU campuses were found to have committed violations of sexual misconduct and discrimination. The violations included requests for sex, unwanted touching and aggressive verbal harassment.

“The Sexual Harassment Disclosure Act is all about shining the light on dark and dangerous behavior, holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring the cycle of harassment and abuse on California’s college campuses is stopped in its tracks,” Senator McGuire said. “That’s why we’ve introduced the Sexual Harassment Disclosure Act, which will ensure hiring committees stop the cycle of harassment and protect students and staff.”

The legislation will require applicants for administrative or academic positions disclose any final administrative or judicial decision determining they (the applicant) committed sexual harassment. That information would then be turned over to a hiring committee at a California community college and or Cal State University, ensuring the cycle of harassment and abuse can be stopped in its tracks.

While Title IX protections exist to protect students, faculty and staff, bad actors have been able to escape the consequences of their actions by moving from one campus to the next.  

“Here in California, we’re supposed to defend victims, advance a no-tolerance approach to harassment and hold aggressors accountable. But in too many cases over the past decades on CSU campuses, it’s been the exact opposite. A culture of looking the other way, victim shaming and attempting to cover up violations have been commonplace. SB 791 is an important step to ending the abuse,” McGuire added.