{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/fraternity-and-sorority-organizations-back-off-sexual-assault-bill-after-mccaskill-protests", "Fraternity and sorority organizations back off sexual assault bill after McCaskill protests", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Fraternity and sorority organizations back off sexual assault bill after McCaskill protests \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Tuesday, November 17, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Chuck Raasch\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            WASHINGTON Last month, Sen. Claire McCaskill wrote letters to national fraternity and sorority organizations and three fraternities on the University of Missouri campus to protest their support of a bill on campus sexual assaults that the senator opposes.\r\nThis month, those organizations withdrew their backing, the latest example of the complex and highly charged debate over campus sexual assaults.\r\nMcCaskill, D-Mo., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., are co-sponsors of their own bill that attempts to clarify and standardize procedures campuses should use when allegations of sexual assault are made. The Campus Accountability and Safety Act focuses on ways to encourage victims to step forward and provide them support in that process.\r\nThe rival bill by Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., the Safe Campus Act, would require that allegations of sexual assault be handled by local police before campus discipline proceedings could proceed.\r\nSalmon has touted the measure as a guarantee of legal due process for alleged victims and perpetrators. But McCaskill and Gillibrand argued in letters in October to the organizations that Salmons bill would discourage victims from stepping forward. McCaskill also wrote three fraternities at the University of Missouri raising questions about their national organizations support of the Salmon bill.\r\nAfter listening to our member fraternities and partners, the NIC is withdrawing its support of the Safe Campus Act, said a statement on the website of the North-American Intrafraternity Conference, which represents more than 70 fraternities. The ultimate goal of campus reform is to provide a safer environment for students to further their education.\r\nOur member organizations and NPC leadership have listened to the groundswell of concern among our members and are refocusing our legislative agenda, the National Panhellenic Conference, which represents 26 sororities, said in a statement on its website. To that end, NPC is withdrawing its support of the Safe Campus Act.\r\nIn addition, representatives for the national offices of Kappa Alpha Order, Alpha Tau Omega and Sigma Nu also said they had withdrawn their support for the Salmon bill. McCaskill wrote the University of Missouri chapters of all three in late October.\r\nMcCaskill and Gillibrand issued a joint statement commending the fraternity and sorority organizations for backing away, saying Salmons bill would have tied schools hands, and would have undermined safety for survivors  which these groups have now recognized is not the way to combat these crimes.\r\nA spokesman for Salmon did not return calls seeking comment.\r\nMcCaskill and Gillibrands legislation has had a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, and it may be inserted in broader education or spending bills.\r\nBut so far, the groups have not endorsed the McCaskill-Gillibrand legislation. The North-American Intrafraternity Conference said it would support any legislation that followed seven guidelines to protect alleged victims while ensuring due process for the accused. The organization said it could support another rival bill, the Fair Campus Act, which is similar to Salmons but omits the language about local law enforcement that McCaskill and Gillibrand objected to.\r\nOne of the seven principles laid out by the NIC would ensure due process rights for organizations to prohibit pre-emptive group suspension of student organizations.\r\nThe president of the University of Virginiasuspended all fraternities and sororitiesafter a 2014 Rolling Stone article alleged a gang rape had occurred in a fraternity.Demonstrations were aimed at the fraternity named in the story.But the story later unraveled andwas later judged to be the false product of shoddy journalism in an independent review. Localpolice said they found no substantive basis to the allegations.\r\nPhi Kappa Psi has sued Rolling Stone for $25 million, alleging that innocent brothers were besieged in their residence, physically threatened, protested against and vilified by unknown assailants, fellow students and the university community.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/fraternity-and-sorority-organizations-back-off-sexual-assault-bill-after-mccaskill-protests"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6918806359171867, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}