,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dgeh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #ah1 #bjai,mr4 ,griffith introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,ways and ,means1 and the ,judiciary1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to establish a national sexual assault care and treatment task force2 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,sexual ,assault ,victims ,protection ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,national sexual assault care and treatment task force 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall establish a task force to be known as the ,national ,sexual ,assault ,care and ,treatment ,task ,force 7referred to in this section as the ,task ,force7 to identify barriers to improving access to sexual assault forensic examiners1 sexual assault nurse examiners1 and other forensic medical examiners4 7b7 ,membership ,the ,task ,force shall include a representative from the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 the ,indian ,health ,service1 the ,office for ,victims of ,crime of the ,department of ,justice1 the ,office on ,women's ,health of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 and the ,office on ,violence ,against ,women of the ,department of ,justice1 a survivor of sexual assault2 representatives from regional and national organizations with expertise in forensic nursing1 rape trauma or crisis counseling1 investigating rape and gender violence cases1 survivors' advocacy and support1 sexual assault prevention education1 rural health1 and responding to sexual violence in ,native communities2 representatives from hospitals1 patient groups1 and emergency department physicians2 and representatives of ,states1 including ,states that have in effect ,state laws or procedures that address the objectives described in subsection 7c74 7c7 ,objectives ,to assist and standardize ,state-level efforts to improve medical forensic evidence collection relating to sexual assault1 the ,task ,force shall-- 7#a7 identify barriers to the recruitment1 training1 and retention of sexual assault forensic examiners1 sexual assault response teams1 sexual assault nurse examiners1 and others who perform such examinations2 7#b7 make recommendations for improving access to medical forensic examinations1 including the feasibility of1 or barriers to1 utilizing mobile units and telehealth services2 7#c7 make recommendations for improving coordination of services1 other protocols regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors1 and the preservation of evidence between law enforcement officials and health care providers2 7#d7 make recommendations for updating national minimum standards for forensic medical examiner training and forensic medical evidence collection relating to sexual assault2 7#e7 make recommendations for the development of resources and best practices described in subsection 7e7 for inclusion on the public website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services2 7#f7 make recommendations on the collection and retention of sexual assault kits1 including anonymous or unreported sexual assault kits2 and 7#g7 make recommendations on processes and best practices for communicating to sexual assault survivors who seek care in the emergency room information about the availability of forensic medical evidence collection as part of the care and treatment of such survivors4 7d7 ,transparency requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after first convening1 the ,task ,force shall submit to the ,secretary a report on the recommendations1 findings1 and conclusions of the ,task ,force4 7#b7 ,report ,not later than #ah months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the recommendations1 findings1 and conclusions of the ,task ,force4 7e7 ,sexual assault treatment resources 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than ,july #a1 #bjbj1 the ,secretary shall post on the public website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services resources and best practices developed by health care providers1 forensic scientists1 law enforcement representatives1 and advocates of sexual assault victims1 relating to the treatment of individuals for sexual assault by health care providers4 ,such resources and best practices shall include the following3 7,a7 ,resources for health care providers ,resources and best practices for health care providers1 including-- 7i7 best practices for training personnel on sexual assault forensic evidence collection2 7ii7 best practices relating to providing counseling and appropriate referrals to such individuals2 and 7iii7 other resources and best practices determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7,b7 ,resources for sexual assault survivors ,resources and best practices for sexual assault survivors1 including-- 7i7 information about the forensic exam furnished by a sexual assault forensic examiner1 including the process and potential benefits of collecting evidence2 7ii7 information on available ,state-wide databases of sexual assault nurse examiner-ready or sexual assault forensic examiner-ready facilities2 7iii7 survivor advocacy group websites and hotlines2 7iv7 next-steps guides for survivors with best practices for preserving evidence and seeking treatment after an assault2 and 7v7 other resources and best practices determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,updates ,as soon as practicable after the submission of the report under subsection 7d77#a7 to the ,secretary1 the ,secretary shall update the resources and best practices posted on the website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services under paragraph 7#a7 to take into consideration the recommendations1 findings1 and conclusions of the ,task ,force contained in such report4 ,the ,secretary shall update such resources and best practices periodically1 but not less frequently than annually4 7f7 ,annual ,summit ,the ,secretary shall convene an annual stakeholder meeting to address gaps in health care provider care relating to sexual assault that includes the ,task ,force4 7g7 ,definitions ,for purposes of this section3 7#a7 ,medical forensic examination ,the term medical forensic examination means an examination provided to a sexual assault survivor by medical personnel trained to gather evidence of a sexual assault in a manner suitable for use in a court of law4 7#b7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#c7 ,sexual assault ,the term sexual assault means any non-consensual sexual act proscribed by ,federal1 tribal1 or ,state law1 including when the individual lacks capacity to consent4 7#d7 ,sexual assault examiner ,the term sexual assault examiner means a registered nurse1 advanced practice nurse1 physician1 or physician assistant specifically trained to provide comprehensive care to sexual assault forensic examinations4 7#e7 ,sexual assault forensic examiner ,the term sexual assault forensic examiner means a medical practitioner who has specialized forensic training in treating sexual assault survivors and conducting medical forensic examinations4 7#f7 ,sexual assault nurse examiner ,the term sexual assault nurse examiner means a registered nurse who has specialized forensic training in treating sexual assault survivors and conducting medical forensic examinations4 7#g7 ,sexual assault response team ,the term sexual assault response team means a multidisciplinary team that provides a specialized and immediate response to survivors of sexual assault1 and may include health care personnel1 law enforcement representatives1 community-based survivor advocates1 prosecutors1 and forensic scientists4 #c4 ,promoting coordination of sexual assault care in local communities ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall revise section #dhi4bd7;j7 of title #db1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 to require each formal community call plan 7as described in section #dhi4bd7;j77#b77;iii7 of such title 7or a successor regulation77 to provide-- 7#a7 with respect to the delineation of on-call coverage responsibilities described in subparagraph 7,a7 of such section1 for a delineation of such coverage responsibilities for screening and treatment relating to sexual assault and includes a schedule of the on-call coverage availability for such screening and treatment at each hospital with on-call coverage responsibilities for such treatment2 and 7#b7 with respect to assurances related to local and regional ,,ems system protocols described in subparagraph 7,d7 of such section1 for an assurance that such protocols include information with respect to community on-call arrangements for screening and treatment relating to sexual assault4