Public postsecondary educational institutions: sexual harassment complaints: state audits.

Existing federal law, known as Title IX, prohibits a person, on the basis of sex, from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or being subject to discrimination, which includes sexual harassment, under, any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California under the administration of the Regents of the University of California as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. A portion of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, known as the Equity in Higher Education Act, requires, among other things, each postsecondary educational institution in the state to have a written policy on sexual harassment, including information on the complaint process and the timeline for the complaint process, as provided. This bill would require the California State Auditor, on or before September 1, 2026, and every 3 years thereafter, until January 1, 2036, to report the results of an audit of the ability of the California State University and the University of California to address and prevent sexual harassment on campus, and would require the findings of those audits to be reported to specified legislative committees, as provided. The bill would require the audits to, among other things, evaluate the systemwide policies and practices on sexual harassment and determine whether the policies and practices are consistent with federal and state law and best practices. This bill would require the California State Auditor, on or before September 1, 2028, and every 5 years thereafter, until January 1, 2044, to report the results of an audit of a sample of no less than 3 community college districts, and would require the findings of those audits to be reported to specified legislative committees, as provided. The bill would require the audits to, among other things, evaluate whether each community college district's policies and practices are adequate to detect, address, and prevent the reoccurrence of sexual harassment.