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House leaders greenlight sexual assault, background check bills

Delaware Public Media

Two bills that have garnered headlines over the past year dealing with campus sexual assault and bolstering Delaware's firearm background check system made it through a House committee Wednesday.

A proposal beefing up training and reporting requirements for sexual assaults on college campuses was passed unanimously by House leadership.

Professors and staff alike would undergo classes on how to help victims get counseling on or off campus and connect them with other resources.

It first drew the ire of victims rights groups and university officials when it forced those employees to report any instances of sexual assault to police within 24 hours.

“Although the criminal justice system is an appropriate and helpful response for some victims and survivors, it’s not necessarily an avenue for all,” said Mariann Kenvill-Moore, policy director for the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

She says it could re-victimize some of those who had been assaulted who may have put the experience behind them.

Presidents of both University of Delaware and Delaware State University embrace the bill now, saying the safety of their students is one of their top priorities.

"...it’ll add more accountability and save some lives in a very positive way,” Delaware State University president Harry Williams said.

If signed into law, training and statistical reporting requirements will be phased in over the next few years.

Proponents of the other bill say they’re trying to close a background check loophole when people try to buy guns.

Right now, gun dealers only have to wait three days before giving up on federal background check results and selling it anyway. The new proposal would extend that waiting period to 30 days.

House Minority Leader Danny Short (R-Seaford) says federal officials could become lazy and delay processing requests without a more strict deadline in place.

“If you say it’s a 30-day deadline, I think you’re going to see the world that is now pushing hard to get them out in three days…the average might go from 92 percent getting them in three days to 92 percent getting them in 28 days,” Short said.

Instead, he says he wants to see a more uniform system between the states and the federal government to ideally eliminate any delays in the background check system.

Proponents argue that 92 percent of background checks in Delaware are cleared within three days and that the inconvenience of a longer wait time for the vast minority of those that are flagged is outweighed by public safety concerns.

Both bills now head to the House for a full vote.

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