Substitute for House Resolution No. 335.

            A resolution to declare September 15, 2016, as RAINN Day in the state of Michigan.       Whereas, RAINN Day is a national day of action to raise awareness and educate students about sexual violence on college campuses; and

            Whereas, It is estimated that a sexual assault occurs every 109 seconds in the United

States and more than 288,820 Americans ages 12 and older are victims of sexual assault each year. One of every six women and one of every 33 men in America have been victims of completed or attempted rape, according to the United States Department of Justice; and

            Whereas, Women enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence and male college students are 78% more likely than nonstudents to be a victim of rape or sexual assault; and

            Whereas, The Federal Bureau of Investigation, in its Uniform Crime Reports, ranks rape second only to murder in the hierarchy of violent crimes. Sexual violence may take many forms, including acquaintance, stranger, spousal, and gang rape, incest, child sexual abuse, commercial sex trafficking, sexual harassment, and stalking; and

            Whereas, In addition to the immediate physical and emotional costs of sexual violence, sexual violence has numerous adverse consequences, which can include post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide, according to the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence; and

            Whereas, Research suggests that sexual assault survivors who receive counseling are more likely to report the assault to the police, to participate in the prosecution of the offender, and to be better equipped to deal with the long-term consequences of sexual violence; and

            Whereas, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Phone Hotline and Online Chat Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. The hotlines helped an average of 500 people per day and in 2015 helped 157,000 women, men, and children across the nation; and

            Whereas, RAINN works with students to raise visibility for the issues of sexual violence prevention and recovery on campus. The public education and outreach undertaken by RAINN and local partners during annual RAINN Day events educates more than 1 million college aged students about sexual assault each year; and

            Whereas, The third Thursday in September is nationally recognized as Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network Day. RAINN Day provides a special opportunity to educate the people of Michigan about sexual violence, particularly sexual violence on college campuses, and to encourage the prevention of sexual assault, improvement in the treatment of survivors of sexual assault, and the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual assault; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body  declare September 15, 2016, as RAINN Day in the state of Michigan. We support the goals and ideals of the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network as it is appropriate to properly acknowledge survivors of sexual assault and to commend the volunteers and professionals who assist those survivors in their efforts to heal.