# The SANE Act: Making Sexual Assault Exams More Available

The SANE Act is designed to make it easier for sexual assault survivors to get specialized medical exams and evidence collection when they need it. Right now, many parts of the country don't have enough trained professionals to handle these exams, leaving survivors without proper care or making them wait long periods. This bill aims to fix that problem by funding training programs and hiring more specialized nurses.

When someone reports a sexual assault, they need a medical exam that serves two purposes: treating their injuries and collecting evidence for potential prosecution. These exams are performed by specially trained nurses called Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) or Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs). The bill recognizes that these professionals are in short supply, especially in rural areas, tribal communities, and places serving low-income populations. The SANE Act provides federal money to train more of these specialists and pay their salaries so hospitals and clinics can afford to keep them on staff.

The bill specifically targets gaps in care by offering grants to hospitals, training programs, and community organizations. The money can be used to establish regional training centers for SANEs, pay instructor salaries, and even support specialized pediatric examiners who work with child victims. It also encourages programs that work with rape crisis centers and victim advocates, recognizing that survivors need emotional support alongside medical care. Additionally, the bill requires the federal government to create a public website showing where survivors can access these services in their state and to study whether the funding is actually improving access to care across the country.

SANE Act

Joyce, David P.

Supporting Access to Nurse Exams Act or the SANE Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and otherwise revises the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Program. This program provides grants for training, technical assistance, education, equipment, and information relating to the identification, collection, preservation, analysis, and use of DNA samples and other evidence by medical personnel and other professionals treating victims of sexual assault. Among other changes, the bill (1) expands the types of entities that are eligible to receive a grant under the program; (2) expands the allowable uses of these grants, including to provide full- and part-time salaries for sexual assault nurse examiners and sexual assault forensic examiners; and (3) requires the Department of Justice to establish and update annually a public website on access to forensic nurse examiners.