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A De Pere lawmaker is looking for co-sponsors for a Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights. It would make Wisconsin the 21st state to adopt such a law.

CLICK HERE to read the bill.

"We have people calling or coming into our office all the time that, for whatever reason, everyone's situation is unique, that today's the day they want to report," says Samantha Bouressa, Program Supervisor, Sexual Assault Center.

In the first three months of 2019, the Sexual Assault Center in Brown County has served 434 victims, and helped 127 people during Sexual Assault Nurse Exams (SANE). The exams are taken immediately after a sexual assault.

Bouressa says arming survivors with a voice and knowledge is critical.

"I think what this bill does is it gives that sense of security to victims, to survivors, to know that going forward, they are being heard," says Sen. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere).

Sen. Jacque is proposing the survivor's bill. It includes a requirement that rape kits be tested within 90 days of being submitted.

Jacque says eight other states already do this.

"That could be potentially huge, because right now, the kits that are sent down are kind of prioritized," Bouressa says. "And so sometimes we have cases where it takes months to get back the results."

The bill also requires rape kits to be stored for 50 years.

Survivors must be notified in writing 60 days before evidence in a kit is destroyed.

"I think that's critical in terms of giving them that opportunity to come forward, or at least that awareness or the possibility of starting criminal proceedings," Sen. Jacque says.

Bouressa says, "A lot of what we do to help victims, especially in Brown County, is best practice, and it's what we decided would be best for victims. So putting it in law is really a big deal to ensure that victims, every victim, not only in Brown County, but everywhere in the state, are afforded these same rights."

Jacque anticipates introducing the Survivor Bill of Rights in June.

If you or someone you know is a victim of sex assault, CLICK HERE for a list of resources and hotlines.

Here are the items in the Survivors Bill of Rights (as provided by Sen. Jacque's office):

--The right to be provided with accurate written information about his or her rights as a sexual assault victim.

--The right to choose whether or not to undergo a sexual assault forensic examination.

--The right to bathe immediately following a sexual assault forensic examination if facilities are available.

--The right to choose whether or not to cooperate with a law enforcement agency.

--The right to have any examination evidence stored for 50 years or until the end of the prison term of the person convicted of the assault against him or her.

--The right to be notified in writing 60 days prior to the destruction of any evidence obtained in a sexual assault forensic examination.

--The right of an individual cooperating with law enforcement to have their sexual assault kit tested within 90 days of collection.