WASHINGTON – Sen. 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 Rights in 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.
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