“Four years ago, if you had told me that it would be possible for a group of students to come together, draft a bill centered on campus sexual violence prevention and survivor support, and get it passed through Congress, I would have been in disbelief.”

That was the reaction of Mathena Jencka, 2L, upon learning that legislation she and her fellow advocates had spent years fighting for had finally become law.

The Institution of Higher Education Sexual Misconduct Reporting and Resource Accessibility Act of 2025, designated L26-0101, passed through congressional review and is now official law in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson, the legislation was written for students, by students.

The law requires institutions of higher education in the District of Columbia to provide confidential advising services through Confidential Resource Advisors (CRAs), who help survivors navigate available resources and understand their rights. It also mandates anti-retaliation protections that shield survivors from punishment for alcohol or drug use at the time of an incident, annual evidence-based and trauma-informed prevention training for both students and employees, and scholarship and GPA waivers allowing survivors to maintain academic financial aid eligibility without being penalized for the impact of their experience.

For Jencka and her fellow advocates, the law is proof of what student organizers can accomplish. “L26-0101 has proven what we, as advocates, are truly capable of changing,” she said.

The full text of the law is available here.